The Promise of Time
by Whisperwings
Summary: Dayn and Nika aren't best friends anymore. A sudden trip through time forces them to stick together. And suddenly, they find themselves a central part of one of the greatest legends in human history. Time tore them apart, can it bring them back together?
1. Prologue

Prologue

Nika smiled and cheered with the rest of her graduation class as they all pulled off their dark blue caps and tossed them into the air. This was it! High school was over! She could hardly believe that this part of her life was over, and yet she couldn't wait for the next step. She'd been looking forward to college since she was a freshman. With the highest grades of the school, she could have graduated a year ago.

She looked to her left and had to grin. She couldn't have done that, she'd have left behind her best friend. And after everything they'd been through together, she knew she never could have left without him. She was looking forward to college, yes. But she was really looking forward to experiencing it with Dayn.

She laughed along with everyone else, looking at one of their fellow graduates who'd shaved the hair off the top of his head. No one had known the difference with his cap on, but now it was there for the world to see. Soon, their laughter filtered into happy chatter, as parents and students started moving over to the buffet tables in the school's gym.

"We better get some cake before it's all gone!" the raven haired girl said with a smile, grey eyes sparkling at the promise of after graduation snacks.

Dayn laughed and grabbed her arm, leading her through the crowd to get in line for the buffet table. His normally bed-head black hair was combed neatly, his amber eyes shining with happiness.

"Ready for college?" he asked her in a teasing voice. It was a running joke between them, he already knew the answer.

Nika only beamed, grey eyes shining. "Like you wouldn't believe! I spent all last night boxing stuff for the dorm. Seeing as we don't move in for another three months, Mom thinks I'm crazy." She said with a laugh, grabbing a paper plate, napkin and plastic fork. Her smile widened. "Of course we already know that I am."

"About time she caught on." Dayn teased, blowing a strand of hair from his eyes. His hair didn't like confinement, and was already escaping the liberal amounts of hair gel he'd had to use. He was conflicted when it came to college, both looking forward to it and dreading it. His parents were more excited than he was, often discussing possible majors and even his social life. He just wanted to get through it without disappointing them.

"So, have you decided on a major yet? Or still think about doing a zillion of them?" he asked with a crooked smile, dishing himself a large slice of cake.

Nika made a face. "I don't know yet. The chemistry and physics programs both look like fun, and the school is known for their history major. And the engineering program is amazing! I'll probably end up doing a ton." She said with a casual shrug. For her, the idea of doing multiple majors wasn't daunting in the least. She was an excellent student and loved to learn. She'd be happy going to college for years rather than rushing to graduate. "What about you? Step-dad still pushing you to join his old fraternity?"

Dayn sighed as they both sat with their cake. He shrugged, picking at it with his fork. "Yeah, and mom wants me to try going pro for soccer. Beth is doing great with her singing career, and Kyle is starting his internship at the hospital."

Dark amber eyes looked out at the crowd of people. "They just want me to do something big, like them." he said. "Something that 'lives up to my potential' as they call it."

Nika made a face again. "Well, what do _you_ want to do?" she asked him. "You're the brave one, don't let them choose your life for you." She said softly, wiping the frosting off her cake before taking a bite of it.

Dayn didn't answer for a time, and when he gave it he knew it wasn't what Nika wanted to hear. "I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I shouldn't, but…" he sighed and shrugged, a small smile on his face. "I don't know yet."

Nika sighed, staring at what was left of her cake for a moment. She finally looked up at him, shy grey eyes full of emotion.

"Dayn…things are going to change aren't they?" she asked in a whisper. Neither cared that their fellow students were all around them, celebrating with their families and friends. They'd always had enough as long as they had each other. "Things aren't going to be like this next fall."

Dark amber eyes met grey and Dayn smiled. "No it won't. But you'll always be my number one friend Nika. I promise." He would have liked to be more, he'd had a crush on her for longer than he could remember. The thought seemed to have never crossed her mind though, and he was ok with the two of them being friends.

Nika grinned. "And you'll always be my best friend, you know that." She said with a chuckle. "We'll have to make sure to do stuff together all the time, we can't have you forgetting me." She added with a decisive nod.

Dayn laughed and threw a small piece of cake at her. "Forget you? Geez, you're like a growth I can't get rid of!" he grinned and stood, quickly starting to weave through the crowd.

Nika wouldn't let him get away with a comment like that. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

Grey eyes sparkled with mischief only Dayn seemed able to pull out of Nika's shy persona, gasping in mock dismay. "A growth, huh?" she asked, right behind him. She grabbed a glass of ice water from the buffet table and pulled a piece of ice from it before leaving the glass on a random table.

"Love you too." She teased, dropping the ice down the back of his dress shirt before turning and moving in the opposite direction. She hurried to the dance floor, thinking he'd never follow her there.

Dayn yelped at the sudden coldness, untucking his shirt to get the ice away from his skin. He glared at her, loosening his tie and following swiftly. He wasn't a fan of dancing by any means, but that needed payback…

He gave no warning before grabbing Nika around the middle and starting to tickle her, not caring who saw them or what they thought. Nika was the one who was shy and self conscious, Dayn had no such qualms.

Nika barely had time to gasp in surprise before she was overcome by giggles. She was the most ticklish person anyone had ever met, but even then, Dayn knew all the worst spots to make her squeal.

And squeal she did. Loudly. She blushed like crazy, knowing people were staring, but she couldn't stop laughing!

Dayn could have cared less about the looks they were getting, though he knew he'd get an earful from his parents on their way home. "Say it, you're a growth!"

"N-never!" Nika managed to get out through her giggles. She slapped at his hands in an effort to get him to stop, finally just sliding to the floor to escape. "I'm no such thing." She said, crossing her arms and sticking her tongue out at him from her seat on the dance floor. She couldn't help but be happy that the dancers were now simply ignoring them.

Dayn laughed but finally stopped, pulling her to her feet once more. "Nah, you're right. But I had to try." He pointed out cheekily. Dark amber eyes caught sight of his mother who was waving him over. "I gotta go."

Nika followed his gaze and firmly shook her head. "No you don't, you're busy." She said matter-of-factly, putting one of his hands on her waist and her's on his shoulder, taking his free hand as she started rocking back and forth. "It's your graduation, you deserve a little fun."

He grinned and stepped away, holding up a finger to silence her protest. She had no idea how badly he wanted to move back into place, her closeness making his heart jump. But he had to do something first.

He argued with his mother for at least five minutes, finally coming back over with a smile. It grew when he saw Nika standing on the dance floor right where he'd left her. He took her hand and waist and started to dance again, grinning a tad smugly.

"I told her I needed practice for college dances. I got some free time."

Nika's grey eyes met his amber as she grinned happily. She then looked down at their feet and back up in surprise.

"I thought you hated dancing?" she asked, her tone one of disbelief. He'd always made it a point to avoid the school dances. She didn't know why; when he bothered to dress up, he looked quite snazzy and she knew he could have easily gotten a date. She herself looked more dressy than usual in a black knee-length shirt and grey blouse.

Dayn shrugged nonchalantly, but his amber eyes held her grey a tad too long. "I do, but you don't. Call it a graduation gift." He said lightly. He firmly ignored the warm feeling being so near her caused.

Nika giggled and flushed a bit, just enough to turn her pale cheeks pink. "Well, I appreciate it. Thanks." She said simply. "I feel sorry for anyone you practiced with though." She teased, her eyes glittering wickedly. "How many toes did you break?"

Dayn chuckled, his eyes lighting up a bit. "Oh just a few here and there. A dozen or so…"

The night wore on, the two of them talking almost constantly as time passed. Soon people started to leave and Dayn knew it was time for him to say goodbye for a time.

"I'll call you when I know where my dorm is, alright?"

Nika nodded, then groaned. "Don't bother, we won't be able to use our cells until we get home." She said. Her parents were taking her to Europe to visit family for the summer. It was some of the worst timing ever in her opinion. "You'll have to stick to e-mails. And don't you dare forget to do that!" she said with a glare. Dayn was perfectly fine if it came to calling, but he could never remember to send or even check his e-mails. "I want you to promise that you won't forget me Dayn. That we'll always be best friends."

She didn't care how childish it sounded; she needed to hear him say it.

Dayn chuckled and hugged her tightly. "I won't, promise. And relax, it won't be that long before we're at our new school." He pulled back and smiled down at her. "We'll terrorize the campus together, it'll be fun!"

Nika smirked and nodded. "Plan on it." She said with a giggle.

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly one last time, kissing him on the cheek. "See you on the flip side." She whispered, before dashing off through the crowd. She hated goodbyes…so she wouldn't say one.

Dayn looked after her for a moment, wishing he'd have had the courage to tell her what he really felt. He knew she'd done what she did out of friendship alone. But he hadn't, and that was that.

He smiled softly. "See you on the flip side Nika." He whispered before turning and leaving through the opposite doors.

_Finally! A new story! It's already done though, so there won't be any delays as far as posting chapters :D_

_This story is actually based on an old roleplay of mine, so i can't take all the credit for it. I can't link to her account directly in this chapter, but her user name is Kaisaan Greenleaf . Go check out her stuff, she's got an EPIC Lord of the Rings story going right now! anyway, she and I basically write this thing together, at least the first half of it. It was never finished, so i did the last few chapters on my own. I hope she likes them!_

_In the meantime, please review, I would love to hear what you all think!_

_Your humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings_


	2. Chapter 1

Nika smiled as she walked along the wide school hallway, brushing newly colored hair out of her eyes. It had been the first change she'd made over the summer.

Visiting the cousin she'd never met over in Europe had been a wonderful experience. Viola had told her that this was the time to change her image. She could start over now. She'd be attending a new school full of people who'd never met her before. It was the perfect time to decide who she wanted to be.

Nika had taken her words to heart and now really did feel like a whole new person. An updated wardrobe gave her confidence, and her black hair had been colored in a rainbow at the ends, showing off her spunky side. Before this, only Dayn had ever seen such sides of her. Now, she'd be able to show the world that she was more than just the nerdy shy girl everyone knew her to be.

College had started about a month before, and she'd already noticed the change. Grey eyes no longer stared at the sidewalk when she went anywhere. Maybe that's why she was getting noticed more often. Or, she at least noticed that she was being noticed. The old shy Nika wouldn't have ever known that she was being looked at, too busy staring at the floor. She'd even got asked out by a pretty nice guy, and she'd see him for lunch later that day.

The only disappointment in her new life was that Dayn had all but disappeared. Between rushing for his new fraternity and getting into the groove of the intense soccer program, she hadn't been able to see him since graduation. It was tough, she missed her best friend. The occasional e-mail between them wasn't how she'd been expecting them to spend their first few weeks of college.

She'd pretended to be fine with it all. She'd made some new friends in the physics department, had joined a club or two… but she was hurting more than anyone knew. Dayn, on the other hand, was apparently fine without her.

At the moment, the subject of her thoughts was walking down the halls with a confident stride that…wasn't him. Dayn was confident yes, but not in the cocky arrogant way he was portraying. It seemed that's what he'd become though, over the last month.

His parents finally appeared happy with him. He was a member of the preppy fraternity his step-father had been a part of in his college days. A fraternity full of athletes and rich sons, all popular and with good looks. His mother was happy he was still doing soccer and taking it seriously. He was everything they'd hoped he would be.

Dayn himself was anything but happy, though he never showed it. He winked at a girl as he walked, smirking when she blushed and looked away. Such flirtation was second nature to him these days, though it didn't mean a thing to him.

Then, dark amber eyes caught sight of black, rainbow-streaked hair and he felt both an old flutter of joy as well as a new stab of pain.

Nika had changed, just like him. But with her change seemed to come the absence of any need for him anymore. It hurt.

Nika was reading as she walked. A fascinating book on various ways to separate and combine particles of matter had her entirely absorbed. It was because of this that she didn't see Dayn until she glanced up to walk around a trash can.

The largest smile she'd had in weeks bloomed on her face in her happiness, and she hurried toward her best friend, her book snapping shut.

"Dayn! I haven't seen you in ages!" she exclaimed, waiting for the hug she knew she'd get.

Dayn unexpectedly froze, and for the first time in his life, he didn't know how to react with her. Members of both the soccer team and his fraternity stood around, some glancing curiously at him and Nika.

He felt torn and he hated it. He smiled a bit, the look rather forced because of the uncomfortable feeling prickling at his skin.

"Hey Nika, how have you been?"

Nika felt her own smile falter a bit and she shook her head in confusion. "Um…pretty good. Classes are fascinating, guys are noticing me…it's still kind of weird." She said with a crooked smile and a shrug.

She looked at him, confused and not bothering to hide it. "You ok?"

Dayn shoved his hands into his pockets, avoiding her eyes behind hair that looked as bed-tousled as ever. He hid the jealousy that reared up at the mention of other guys noticing her. Nika wasn't interested in him, that much was apparent.

"I'm fine. Just tired. Soccer practices are pretty grueling right now." He didn't mention the late-night parties with his fraternity.

Nika nodded slowly. "Oh…" she whispered. "Um…I hope they get better." She said, feeling awkward for the first time she could ever remember with Dayn. She didn't like it. "So how's life? Got a girlfriend already? Some new friends?"

Dayn shrugged, the motion foreign to his personality to anyone who knew him. By now it was an ill learned habit. "Made some friends on the team, some in the fraternity." Though it was harder in the fraternity when the guys were nothing like him. He didn't want to say it aloud though…not when the people around expected him to be a certain way…and Nika didn't need to know such things.

"Don't have a girlfriend, but I'm still looking." He said, ignoring the voice in his head. He'd already found who he wanted, he just couldn't have her. "What about you? Find anyone yet?"

Nika shrugged, hating the way their words seemed to hang heavily in the air around them. She'd wished for ways to escape a conversation before, but never with Dayn…

"No one in particular. A guy in my chemistry class asked me out to lunch today though. His name is Freddie, I think he's in your frat."

Dayn kept his expression carefully neutral and nodded. He suddenly felt the desire to bash Freddie's head in. So this was the girl he'd been talking about. Dayn's blood threatened to simmer, remembering the many references to Nika's butt and breasts. He forced a smile instead.

"That's cool. Just…be careful. And have fun." He said, feeling a spasm of faint pain and awkwardness. He checked his watch, hating that he felt the need to get away. This was his best friend, he shouldn't feel the need to run away from her. "I need to go. My class starts in five minutes. It was good to see you, Nika."

Nika nodded jerkily, hugging her book to her chest in a manner she hadn't let herself do since she'd gotten here. The insecure shy side she'd been working so hard to hide.

"Yeah…yeah it was fun. See you on the flip side." She whispered in their customary goodbye.

It was the only familiar part of the conversation.

She couldn't meet his eyes nor anyone else's. Instead, she just hurried past him and down the hall, closing in on herself. She needed to get outside. Her own class started soon, but if she didn't get some fresh air, she'd burst into tears.

What had happened? She didn't even know…

Dayn didn't know how many beers he'd had at tonight's party. But looking over at Nika and Chris dancing, he couldn't bring himself to care. Instead he simply leaned grumpily against the window, sipping more of the bitter liquid.

He and Nika had hardly talked for months aside from the occasional awkward hallway conversation. As such, he had no idea what Nika's social life was like anymore. And seeing her with Chris…hurt deeply.

And so he drank because it was there and because it numbed the pain and helped with the stress for tonight at least.

Nika moved with ease, but she wasn't particularly comfortable here. She'd never been big on parties. At least not parties where half the people were completely wasted and the rest were hurrying to join them. Even worse, this was Dayn's fraternity and he hadn't even said hello when he'd seen her. He'd turned away instead…an act that made her heart ache with sadness. Her best friend must really be gone, the old Dayn would never have done such a thing.

She excused herself from Chris, leaving before he could say anything. She wouldn't be accepting an invitation to go on a second date, not if this was his idea of a good first date.

She pushed her way through the crowd, searching for the kitchen so she could get some water. The only non-alcoholic drink in the house. She spotted Dayn and frowned at the look in his eyes as he looked around the room.

"Are you drunk?" she demanded, moving towards him without even thinking.

Dayn had to concentrate for a moment before Nika came into focus. Once he realized what she'd said he shrugged, wobbling a bit.

"What do you care? You're probably used to it with all your boyfriends." His voice slurred slightly. He was torn between not caring at all and caring quite a bit and trying to control it.

He looked at Chris and his frown deepened as he took another drink. "Why you with him anyway? All he wants is sex."

Nika frowned herself and crossed her arms. "I figured that out for myself thanks. Just because I'm trying to find a decent guy doesn't mean I take them all seriously. I have yet to get an actual boyfriend." She pointed out, voice short in her frustration. "And why do you care what he wants? I can take care of myself. Good thing too, since I can't count on you." She scoffed.

Some part of Dayn was more angry with himself than at her, but that part was a weak voice in the fog of intoxication. He just gave her a smirk, bordering on a sneer.

"Yeah, you can look after yourself. I've seen that clearly enough." He snorted, taking another drink and spilling some of it on his shirt. "Go back to your date, I'm sure he's much better company." His amber eyes were even darker than normal, looking like shadowed gold in his anger.

Nika made a face, utterly disgusted with him.

"Sadly, yes he is." She said in a flat voice. She turned and went back to Chris, feeling almost numb as his arm slid around her waist.

What had happened to the Dayn she knew? Who was this fake, and what had he done with her best friend?

She hardly noticed when Chris led her from the room and took her hand, pulling her upstairs saying he wanted to show her his new computer.

Dayn watched her leave, but was soon distracted by a fresh cup of beer being placed in his hands. He didn't really notice Nika leaving with Chris. He knew she wasn't on the dance floor or in the main room, but it was hard to think where she could have gone through the haze in his mind. He wasn't sure why he wanted to find her anyway. He'd sent her away, right?

He took another drink, pushing away from the wall and into the crowd. His steps were unsteady and he literally almost fell on a well-built blond who eyed him up and down after they'd both regained their balance.

Dayn blinked down at her as she pressed up against him, long lashes blinking coyly. "Let's get you off your feet." She said softly, leading him by the hand to the nearest couch.

Before he knew what was happening, her lips were locked on his, and she was practically in his lap. His blood was sluggish and he didn't really think he was feeling anything. Why was he kissing her? How had it happened? Why couldn't he think straight? And why were his hands running down her back, encouraging her?

Nika was still trying to figure out what was going on when Chris opened the door to his rather messy room. She looked at the computer first thing, seeing as that's what he'd wanted to show her, and scoffed a bit.

"You wasted money on the brand, it's too expensive even without the many replacement parts you'll need." She said bluntly. She was in no mood to be her shy little self right now. She turned to head back downstairs, only to have Chris catch her by the elbow and stop her.

She glanced at him and shivered a bit at the look on his face.

"You know perfectly well I didn't want to show you something so dumb." He said, voice not quite clear from the amount of beer he'd had over the course of the night.

"Why not, that's what you said." She pointed out. Chris only pulled her near, lips closing over her throat. Nika grimaced and pushed at his chest, but he only held her a bit tighter.

"Everyone knows the code." He whispered against her skin. "A guy asks a girl to show her something in his room…but it's something else he wants to show her. And the girl agrees if she wants it.

"Well I didn't know your stupid code, and I certainly don't want anything from you." Nika said firmly, shoving him away. "Leave me alone, I never want to see you again." She spat.

The hand on her arm didn't stop her again. She spun and slapped him hard before dashing from the room and down the stairs. This party sucked and she just wanted to leave. She was sure things couldn't get any worse.

She was wrong.

Dayn was on a couch near the door, in a full out make-out session with some busty blond girl. Nika felt something like lightning strike her heart, physically painful in a way that made her press her hand to her chest. Tears came to her eyes, flowing without reserve as she looked away. She pushed her way out the door of the frat house, sobbing.

She ran full out all the way back to her dorm across campus, wondering when life had gotten so horrible.

Dayn groaned as he stared at the sign before him. The words Physics Lab shouldn't hold so much horrible meaning, but they did for him. He'd gotten a D in his science class, just bordering on a failing grade. As a kindness, his teacher had offered him a chance to raise his grade to a C by doing an extra credit assignment over the summer. If he refused, he'd be getting an F.

He didn't have a choice, though he'd rather be doing anything else.

He finally hoisted his backpack onto his shoulder and pushed his way into the room. Most of the students inside looked to be people his fellow fraternity members loved to torment. Now it was his turn to feel out of place.

The lab was divided into two levels. On the main level he was on, there was a workroom of sorts. Whiteboards full of complicated equations lined the walls, and work tables were covered with blueprints and notebooks and tools. A railing edged the area, stairs on the right leading down to the ground level part of the room.

Down there, was a machine that looked like it had been pulled from a movie. A circular platform covered in various patterns of different metals made up the base, though it looked half finished with all the exposed wiring. Two large rings stood vertically on top of it, looking like they might spin or something.

Dayn's breath hitched when Nika swept into the room. Of course…the project manager simply _had_ to be her, the one person he didn't want to be around for any period of time. And now he'd be stuck with her all summer.

Nika's lab coat sat on her shoulders as if it belonged over her striped t-shirt and jeans. She held a clipboard in her hand and she read from it as she moved through the room, somehow not running into a thing though she never looked up from it.

"Alright guys, time to get back to work. I know it's Monday, and I know it's summer, but we've got stuff to do." She announced, taking the stairs to the upper area of the lab.

"Last minute change in plans. Professor Veska got us some extra-credit…volunteers." She said tactfully. "Let's try not to make them feel too dumb." She added with a grin, getting a chuckle from some of her classmates. No one seemed to care that she was younger than half of them.

Dayn wasn't sure about this at all. At this point, he was weighing the options of working under Nika, who he hadn't seen since the party, and taking the F for his class. He knew he didn't really have a choice, his parents would kill him if he failed a class. But the temptation was strong. He took a seat, barely noticing that most of the others were avoiding him.

He ran a hand though permanently tousled black hair, and just tried to remain unseen. He just had to get through the summer and pass this class, then he could go back to trying to accomplish his parent's dreams.

When Nika finally dropped her clipboard on the table and looked around, she froze at the sight of Dayn. She turned away a moment later, hiding her dismay and smiling at the other students.

"Alright guys, you know your jobs. Leaders report to me." She said simply. As the others got to work, she steeled herself and made her way over to her ex-best friend. She chewed her tongue, reminding herself that she had to remain civil…no matter how badly she wanted to just blow up at the guy.

"So you're the volunteer Professor Veska told me about? The one who practically failed his class?" Disappointment laced her voice. He'd used to have really good grades, what pit had he fallen into?

Dayn hadn't expected a real greeting. He simply looked up at Nika and nodded, but was too ashamed to hold her gaze. He looked at his hands instead, willing her to leave and pass him on to some other student to tell him what to do. He didn't want her to ask, just to treat him like any of the other students, hell, even make him look like a complete moron.

Anything but having her talk to him with the disappointment in her voice.

Nika watched him for a moment before sighing. Unfortunately, there was nothing else for her to do…

"You'll be sticking with me today." She said simply. "I can tell you what's going on better than anyone else here. And I'm only working down in the pit. Easier than working on equations and stuff."

It wasn't that she wanted to spend time with him, quite the opposite in fact. But she was in charge of this project, he was her responsibility. She licked her lips and worked to keep from sighing again. This summer just got a ton more awkward and a lot less fun…

She didn't wait for him to say anything, simply spinning and heading down the stairs.

Dayn held back a groan as he grabbed his backpack to follow her. Nika didn't have to say anything…he'd known her so long he could tell what she was thinking and feeling just by the way she moved and the look in her eyes.

And even worse, he couldn't blame her for the things the was feeling.

He barely recognized himself anymore. He didn't have any real friends, he hated his fraternity with a passion, and detested the many parties. Soccer, once his favorite sport, wasn't even fun anymore. And on top of it all, his grades were slipping and his parents were on his back about it.

But all of that faded into the background with the knowledge that he'd lost his best friend, the girl he'd secretly loved for what seemed like forever.

Nika didn't know – nor care at this point – about the thoughts going through Dayn's mind. She led him to the large machine in the pit of the lab, and showed him how to attach some thin platinum panels to the base of the strange machine. She knew she should be explaining what the group was doing, but she was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that they were stuck together for the next few months. Instead, she left him to his work and moved to an open panel and started to work on the wiring beneath it.

"Nika, we're going to do a test." Someone said from the upper work area.

"Hang on, let me finish these up." Nika called back. "In the meantime, double check your math! The last thing we need is to fry the wiring and have to replace it all. Again."

Dayn ignored the goings on of the other students in the room, finding a soothing rhythm in attaching the panels to the floor of the machine. He was almost surprised at how easily his fingers worked at it, not having done anything like this all year. He started to relax a bit. No, he didn't want to be here. But this wasn't so bad.

He didn't know what to say to Nika…but if he just kept his mouth shut, he should be fine.

As Nika finished up with the wires, she nodded to one of the students in the upper level of the lab.

Buttons were pressed, switches were switched. The test run had been done many times before; no one expected anything to happen. Nika tapped Dayn's shoulder and jerked her head to make sure he stood back from the edge of the large circular platform. The two stood in the middle of the platform, watching as various things whirled and buzzed around them. Slowly, the two rings started to spin in opposite directions, one inside the other.

"It's a general test of the machinery." She explained out of habit. "We're still not sure what powers the thing, so nothing will happen. We just don't want to be touching anything when the electricity is rushing through everything."

Dayn nodded, and it occurred to him that he hadn't spoken a single work to Nika since he'd arrived. It felt strange, and he found himself missing their friendly banter more than he could explain in words. He didn't say anything though, simply standing clear of the revolving rings and wondering what the heck this machine was supposed to be.

Nika was trying to think of something else to say to Dayn when something caught her eye. She frowned, and leaned forward, a bit too close to the spinning rings for Dayn's comfort. He pulled her back without thinking, though he was watching the same thing she'd noticed. Silvery sparks were rising from the base of the rings, converging on the pair and swirling around their feet.

It wasn't a malfunction though…Nika didn't know what was happening. She gasped as the sparks floated upward, eyes wide when her feet left the floor.

She looked down in shock, then at Dayn. It was as if the two were floating in a bubble, suspended in midair. The silver sparks swirled around them in wild patterns and she realized what was happening.

The machine was working!

"Turn it off!" she heard people shouting, their voices difficult to hear over the whirring of the rings around them. "Turn it off!"

But it was too late. Nika and Dayn screamed in pain as their bodies were ripped apart, right down to the atomic level. A painful sucking feeling overpowered them and then, they disappeared.

_As always, must remind everyone that I am not the only writer of this story, for my co-author of sorts, go visit Kaisaan Greenleaf!_

_I know it's moving a tad slow as far as the major plotline goes...but all this build up is necessary, I assure you! Besides, it's rather fun to write. So much of my writing focuses on how people get together, but ripping people art is surprisingly fun in an evil way! Especially as I know what comes next, muahahaha :D_

_Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed the first real chapter for the story, and please please review! I'd LOVE to know what people think so far!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dayn woke with a pounding headache, sure his brain was trying to break it's way out of his skull. He groaned and twitched, feeling wind blow at his messy hair. Bitterly cold wind. With snow in it.

He sat up swiftly, feeling the world spin but not caring. He was sitting in the middle of a frost covered grassy plain on the side of a mountain. More peaks stretched in every direction, as far as he could see in the quickly building snow storm. Beside him lay Nika, though her groaning proved that she was as alive – and in as much pain – as he was. His breath fogged the air as he shivered in his jeans and polo shirt. He stared around, unable to wrap his mind around where they were.

Nika slowly sat up, looking around with wide shocked grey eyes. Her black and rainbow hair stuck out like a sore thumb amid the white plain. Her thin lab coat was clearly not doing a thing to keep her warm, and it certainly wasn't jeans a t-shirt weather.

"Of course…" the girl whispered. "We needed the right chemistry to be present, that's why we could never get it to run right! Bodies all have a certain chemistry, we needed the right people on the machine to make it work!"

Dayn's dark amber eyes snapped to Nika in disbelief. They were sitting on a freaking _mountain_ and she was spouting science jargon? They could freeze to death or starve, be miles from any help and she was being a nerd!

"What the hell was that machine?" he almost yelled.

Nika glared at him, grey eyes snapping. "A time machine, believe it or not." She told him, voice flat. "Been working on it all year. Not that you'd know or care. We need to find shelter or we'll freeze." She said, always the sensible one. "I'll have to figure out what happened so I can get us back…"

Dayn wanted nothing more than to snarl a reply, both from stress and having been around jerks for too long. His personality was really messed up… But a sudden burning on his chest made him stop. He winced slightly and pulled a necklace from under his t-shirt, a sword charm on it now resting innocently on his fingers. He ignored it and stuffed it away. He must have imagined it. But he mentally ordered himself to stay calm. Now was not the time to take his anger out on anyone, let alone the only person in sight, possible for miles.

"Alright, so that was a time machine and we just got sucked through time." He said, voice deceptively calm. "Do you happen to know when we are?"

Nika chewed her lip, a habit Dayn knew meant she was deep in thought. "Let me think for a sec." she muttered, standing and pacing through the frost covered grass. Her suggestion to find shelter was already forgotten. Dayn would have been amused if he wasn't so anxious.

"The settings for the machine were set for their strongest, seeing as we didn't expect anything to happen…" she said, pulling a pad of paper from the pocket of her lab coat and a pen from behind her ear. She scribbled furiously and muttered for a few long minutes. Numbers and terms and equations Dayn didn't understand flowed from her mouth as she wrote, thinking aloud.

Finally she nodded decisively, looking at her paper with sure eyes. "I'd guess about 10,000 years B.C.E."

Dayn shut his eyes for a moment. 10,000 BCE. _How_ could they be in 10,000 BCE? And how could she be so calm about it?

He opened his eyes when he realized that Nika wasn't the only one taking this in stride. Underneath it all, he was perfectly calm about this himself. Almost unworried. He looked at Nika and saw her shivering, realizing he was too.

"I can't believe how…normal this seems. But we need to find shelter." He said, getting to his feet.

Nika followed, nodding. "I'm fine because I've been hoping for this." She said as she brushed frost of her rear. "I've been planning and studying for months. I know more than my history teacher about ancient history by now." She added with a wry grin. "Of course, I would have brought more than just the clothes on my back."

She shivered and wrapped her arms about herself. "Come on, let's see if we can find a cave in the cliffs." She suggested, trudging through the quickly gathering snow on the ground. She realized why her feet were so cold…she was wearing flip-flops.

Dayn didn't know how long they walked as the blizzard raged around them, but Nika's lips were turning blue and his body was moving more and more sluggishly. They were both shaking beyond control, and had to clench their teeth together to avoid biting their own tongues.

The grassy plains seemed unending as they slowly moved. The storm whipping their hair and clothes so violently also hid any view of the surrounding mountains. They only knew they were going the right direction because they were still going uphill. It was a small comfort when he was sure they'd both freeze to death before they got anywhere.

He glanced up for the dozenth time, hoping against hope to see the cliffs before them. Instead, he stopped short and stared at the sight that greeted his searching eyes. It was a village, a village of huts made with animal hides and enormous bones and tusks which could only have come from a wooly mammoth.

Emerging from the huts were about a half a dozen people, hurrying towards them. They were all dark haired, black or grey eyed, and their skin was weathered. And they all wore fur clothing which looked heavenly to Dayn.

Nika didn't notice Dayn had stopped until she ran into him. She looked up in surprise, eyes widening at the sight of the men before them. She found herself moving a bit closer to Dayn, eying the spears the men carried with wary eyes. But this shock, on top of the cold, was too much for the girl. Her eyes slipped closed and her knees buckled, the cold overtaking her completely.

Dayn caught her before she could fall to the ground, seeing that the men no longer looked threatening so much as pitying.

"You are dressed poorly." One of them said, coming to take Nika from Dayn's arms. The young man took a step back, unwilling to let her go. He didn't know how he could understand the man, but his mind was too slow with cold to even wonder about it.

"We're not from around here." He answered.

"Obviously, or you would be better prepared. Come, we will feed and cloth you properly." The man said. Dayn finally nodded and let him take Nika, but only because he was sure he was about to pass out himself.

He managed to keep the darkness at the edges of his vision, moving along with the men. They seemed to think better of him for doing so, though it was obvious they thought he and Nika were idiots. Which they were, really.

He could barely remember being stripped down and dressed again, being treated for possible frostbite or being laid down on a pile of furs. All he knew was that he managed to stay conscious until Nika was at his side once more. Only then did he let his own eyes close and sleep overcame him.

Nika woke cold, shivering under what seemed to be a mountain of blankets. Why was it so cold, it was summer time?

She finally peeled her eyes open and looked around, grey eyes taking in large mammoth tusks holding woven grass mats and animal furs. Things slowly came to mind and she shivered again. The Ice Age…wonderful, no wonder she was freezing.

She rolled over and saw Dayn under the furs beside her, but she couldn't even tell if he was breathing or not. All animosity was forgotten for a moment in her fear.

"Dayn?" she called softly. "Dayn, wake up!"

He jerked awake in surprise and rolled over to look at her. "What?" he asked, even as he looked around the hut. No one else was there, but he couldn't help the way his stomach sank. "We didn't dream it."

Nika shook her head, firmly ignoring the relief that he wasn't dead. She propped herself up on her elbows, shivering slightly as cool air met her back, and looked around in interest.

"Mammoth bone huts…I'll have to tell my professor, he's certain they only lived in caves when they weren't at a kill site."

Dayn snorted softly and pushed the furs off his legs, getting to his feet. Nika couldn't help but think he looked almost wild himself now. He was dressed in the fur clothing of the natives, and paired with his wild hair and eagle like eyes, it was quite striking.

"Care to explore?" he asked her, amber eyes almost glowing with curiosity. Nika nodded and scrambled free of the blankets. She too wore furs, wrapped up so many layers that you couldn't see her figure at all. Not that she cared. She didn't exactly want to impress anyone here, and she was warm. If she didn't have the multicolored streaks in her hair, she would have fit right in with her black hair and grey eyes.

"We should probably find a guide or something. We'll both fail this semester if we get eaten by a saber toothed tiger."

Dayn frowned. "Do they come up into the mountains?"

Nika giggled. "They go where the food is just like everything else in this time. And we happen to be food." She said bluntly. Dayn had to smile at her tone of voice. It was almost like the old days.

He led the way out of the tent, seeing that everyone was looking at them in curiosity. A group of children were the first to come over, and amid their excited babble he was able to figure out that they were fascinated with his amber eyes and Nika's colored hair.

Nika knelt as little hands tugged at her parka, and the children brushed at her hair as if they were afraid it might break, cooing in awe.

"How is it you do this?" an older girl asked, coming over with a friendly smile. Nika grinned back as she stood once more.

"It's simple at home, with the right things." She said vaguely. Dayn snorted in amusement and she glared at him as the others left. She couldn't very well tell them the truth!

"How come we can understand them?" he asked instead. Nika frowned, tapping her chin as she thought.

"I'm not really sure…they have an accent of sorts, I almost wonder if our minds are translating for us. One of the other girls in the group was working on something like that. I guess it must have somehow worked."

"So…are we speaking English or their language?"

Nika shrugged. "No idea." She said with a smile. Dayn rolled his eyes. Only Nika would be excited about not having an answer to something.

A boy about their age came over next, black eyes and hair not helping his rather stern expression.

"I am Ae'tre. I am wondering if you will be needing any help while you are here." Clearly he'd gotten stuck with the baby sitting job. Dayn nodded and smiled, sensing he wasn't happy about the situation. "I'm afraid we will for a day or so. Just until we can get our bearings. I'm Dayn and this is Nika."

Nika nodded and smiled as well. "We really appreciate the help. And don't worry, we're fast learners." She assured him.

Ae'tre merely nodded and beckoned for them to follow. He immediately started pointing out random things, naming them and telling them what they were good for and their uses. Nika absorbed everything like a desert in a rainstorm, and she was surprised to see that Dayn was just as interested as she was.

Something about this land these people…spoke to Dayn like few things did. History in a classroom tended to be all important figures and dates to memorize. This…was real. So much more real than anything in a textbook.

Nika wanted to say something to Dayn…she felt like she should be saying something to him. She just didn't know what.

She sighed and made a face. If they'd still been friends this would have been easier. As if it hadn't been bad enough they'd be spending a few days a week together as school, now they had to rely on each other 12,000 years before their time. Super.

She realized she'd slowed down and fallen behind and sighed, trudging after the boys where they'd stopped to wait for her.

May as well make the most of things. She wanted to learn everything she could. That was the whole point of the machine after all.

She had to smile a bit, thinking to herself even as one ear continued to absorb the information being given to her. None of the science professors had believed they'd be able to make the machine work. They'd been working on it for years now, as new freshmen came to help, eventually leaving as grad students. Everyone had contributed, but no one had ever made it work.

Despite the mess she was now in, Nika was intensely proud that her ideas had been the ones to make this possible.

Two weeks passed swiftly for the pair. Dayn was taken in by the young hunters, learning about how they tracked animals and how they worked as a team to kill even the most dangerous of beasts. Nika was welcomed by the women who worked in camp, where she learned everything from how they built their huts to how they cooked the meals.

The eldest women were no more than thirty or forty years of age, but they acted as if they'd be dying any day. And, Nika reminded herself, they very well could be. She'd forgotten just how quickly people aged in this time, often not living to see the age of fifty. The younger women were mostly married, and they were surprised to find that she and Dayn weren't a couple. They assured her it would soon change if she stayed, the young men in the camp had started to vie for her attention around the evening campfires.

Spring was coming swiftly to the land. Apparently they'd arrived in the warming season, hard as it was to believe for Nika and Dayn. The ground was still bitten with frost, but the snow storms were less frequent. It made a difference, though not much of one.

Today, Nika was sitting with Dayn, showing him how to braid the sinews from a bison the group had killed a few days before. She was still in shock at the size of the creature, it put modern buffalos to shame! It was woman's work, but she knew Dayn didn't care anymore than she did. Things were still awkward between them though, and it wasn't an easy task to stay in each other's presence for long without getting angry with each other.

Dayn wasn't sure if it was a good thing that he felt perfectly at home in this time. A part of him loved it and wouldn't mind staying in such a simple – if dangerous – life. Another part of wanted nothing more than to get home to his own time, where people had a concept of being clean and of clothing that didn't all smell like the animal it had come from.

Dayn looked up from his work to grin at Ae'tre. The two had become friends after a fight a few days before, and Dayn had proven himself very adept at taking down an opponent.

Ae'tre smiled back, coming over with a spear in hand. "My father wishes to invite you to hunt with us Dayn." The boy said.

Dayn blinked in surprise, but he was already nodding. "Tell your father I'd be honored." As he walked away, he knelt down by Nika once more, speaking without thought. He talked as if their first year of college had never happened, as if they were still as close as they had once been.

"Why did I agree to that? I've never even used a weapon before, what if I screw up their hunt?"

Nika grinned and elbowed him, giggling when he almost fell over. It was nice to see this side of him again, even if it only came out once in a blue moon.

"You'll be fine." She assured him. "If anything, you'll probably just be following along and watching. I doubt you'll have to do much besides stay out of their way."

Dayn sighed and ran a hand through tousled hair. "I still think I'm going to suck at this. I mean, I've kind of trained with their weapons, but hunting with them?" He groaned, but looked up as Ae'tre approached, beckoning.

"Come Dayn, we are leaving!"

The amber eyes male stood and looked down at Nika for a moment. "Um…well…I'll try not to break my neck." He said before racing away.

Nika watched him run off, sighing softly to herself. "You better not!" she yelled after him. "Jerk." She added softly for good measure.

She got back to her work, trying not to let her sudden nervousness enter her heart or eyes. She ended up rushing through her work and finished it more quickly than she'd wanted to. She hopped from one job to another around the camp, trying to distract herself. It didn't work very well, seeing as many of the jobs that needed doing required little or no thought. Which meant she was left free to wonder a dozen times a minute whether Dayn had managed to get himself killed or not yet.

If he survived this, she'd kill him.

Dayn wasn't given a spear right away as the hunting party moved through the grassy plains. He saw a hill move and stopped dead in amazement. When he pointed it out to Ae'tre, the boy laughed until his sides hurt before explaining that those were the creatures they were hunting. The mighty mammoth.

Dayn watched the magnificent creatures and when he was handed a spear, he took it without question or protest. He was one of the few people of his time to see a real mammoth, and right now the only to see one who was still alive.

He gripped the spear, and surprisingly felt a small smile appear on his lips. He would now be the first to hunt one. The weapon in his hands suddenly seemed to belong there, and when the hunters moved to split one mammoth off from the herd, he followed without fear.

He learned quickly as they slipped silently through the grass of the plains, watching the others. It felt odd that it all came so easily to him, and he could have sworn the sword necklace was pulsing with gentle heat. Soon his spear was held in exactly the right manner, and his stance was perfect. His movement was fluid and seamless, as if he'd done this a dozen times before. The bubbling nervousness in his stomach was pushed far out of thought as he focused. This was no time to get the jitters, and no time to worry about a necklace.

The mammoths soon sensed the danger and started to stampede. It wasn't unexpected to the others, and so Dayn took it in stride. He followed the others as they focused on an older and slower male, splitting him off from the herd with ease. The others kept running off to the plains, abandoning the weak in order to stay alive.

But then things seemed to wrong. The older bull was anything but weak, though his age had made him slow. He trumpeted in anger and changed direction, heading right for the village in the distance.

Dayn didn't have to ask to know this wasn't how things were supposed to go. The hunters were starting to panic, trying to turn the mammoth to no avail. It was only one, but he was large and he was angry. They were starting to fall behind as the bull sped up, unable to do a thing and exhausted from trying to keep up with the great creature.

Dayn didn't think before moving from his place at Ae'tre's side. He surged forward like a great cat, legs conditioned from soccer training to stand up to a lot of running. He was used to making desperate sprints even when exhausted, and now, he used it to his advantage.

He wasn't sure where the reckless bravery came from, but he wasn't about to complain. Nika was in that village, and he wasn't going to let her be hurt.

He yelled through his adrenaline and smoothly landed in the right pose, throwing the spear with all his strength. It flew surprisingly straight considering his practices over the past two weeks, and planted itself in the skin behind the bull's shoulder.

The beast roared in pain, suddenly unable to move his left leg without pain, and swung his tusks in anger. Dayn ran out of the way as the others caught up, each of them throwing their spears when they had the chance to.

It was Ae'tre who made the killing blow, landing his spear in the throat of the mammoth when it reared. The creature moaned and rocked dangerously for a moment, before lying down with a mournful sound. Its eyes slowly closed as it collapsed to the ground, the final breath leaving his body.

Dayn's knees trembled weakly as his adrenaline rush left him in a rush, but managed to stay on his feet. He couldn't believe what he'd just done…he'd just helped to take down the largest creature known to man. And he'd saved the village to boot.

He didn't feel much like a hero right now though, more like an overcooked noodle.

Back in camp, Nika had shot to her feet at the sight of the mammoth. As woman rushed to secure their belongings and children and leave, she'd been unable to do anything more than watch. The moment Dayn had rushed up alongside the beast, she'd started to run to help him, not having any idea how she'd do such a thing. Another woman had held her back, and only now loosened her grip.

Nika took off running, heading towards the fallen mammoth and her ex-best friend. The moment she reached them Dayn turned to blink at her in surprise. She slapped him across the face and a second later threw her arms around his neck, trembling with the aftershock of very real fear.

"You crazy idiot!" she exclaimed softly in his ear. "Don't you ever do something that stupid again!"

Dayn's cheek stuck something fierce and he could hear a good deal of amused laughter coming from the other men. Their victory had registered in their minds, they were already in a celebratory mood. Especially Ae'tre, who'd be greatly honored for his first mammoth kill.

But Dayn didn't care right now. He hugged Nika tightly, still in shock. He didn't feel graceful or fast or brave at all anymore. "I don't plan on it." He confided to the girl in his arms. He could feel her shaking, but he couldn't help but be happy that she cared enough to do so.

Things were busy for the next few hours, and both Dayn and Nika were kept apart with the various things that needed doing. The entire camp had moved to the body of the mammoth, as it was easier than trying to get the thing back to camp. It'd be their home for a few weeks at least, as the mammoth could support them all for quite a while on its meat alone.

Ae'tre was the man of the hour, and everyone was eager to hear his tale of how he'd slain the mammoth. He was a good sport about it though, refusing to take all the credit for himself. He often tried to get Dayn to come forward and tell his part, but he refused. Everyone just laughed and insisted he was shy.

Nika grabbed two chunks of freshly cooked mammoth meat and brought them over to where Dayn sat along the edge of the celebration. She handed him one of them and sank down at his side to enjoy the meal. It was different from anything she'd ever tasted before, but it was surprisingly delicious.

Dayn took the meat without looking at her, munching on it slowly as he stared into the fire, thoughts clearly elsewhere. She noticed he was clutching a charm on a necklace in his free hand and raised an eyebrow.

"It's not going to disappear; you don't have to hang onto it." She said. He looked at her in confusion and she looked pointedly at his clenched fist. He realized what she was referring to and flushed slightly, letting it go.

"No, but it might burn me again." He said without thinking. He clamped his jaw shut and looked over at Nika, dark amber eyes dancing with the flames near them. He spoke quietly, showing her the blade. Maybe it would be good to have someone else know about it. "It's weird…it gets warm and even burns. And…earlier, when we were hunting, it was really easy for me to figure out how to do things. I was moving like everyone else out there, like I'd done it a hundred times before. The blade was pulsing the whole time. I didn't think anything of it at the time but… Nika, I _knew_ how to use that spear."

Nika reached out and grabbed the swinging charm to look at it, ignoring how close she had to be to do so. Maybe it was the fact that they'd traveled in time and seen extinct animals, but for some reason, Nika believed him.

"Isn't that the one I gave you…?" she asked softly in surprise. A sword charm with a gold hilt and silver blade. It wasn't much, but it was something she'd given it to him.

"On my thirteenth birthday, yeah." He admitted, swallowing slightly at how close she was. When she released the charm he quickly tucked it away once more. "I can't help but wonder if this had something to do with why I did so well earlier."

He sat back and yanked down the collar of his parka, showing her the sword shaped burn scar in the middle of his chest.

"That happened when we first got here. I was ready to yell at you, and it burned me."

Nika had to smirk. "Even your jewelry thinks you're an idiot." She teased, fondness almost entering her voice. "I don't know why, but I do believe you Dayn. We'll figure out what's going on."

"I guess." He replied, finishing off his meat and licking his fingers of grease. Nika sighed as Dayn mumbled something about being tired and stood to leave. She hated this…why couldn't have gotten sucked back in time with someone she actually got along with?

Neither of them noticed in the flickering firelight that silver sparks had gathered around them on the ground. Everyone else was too busy celebrating to notice a thing. Finally she and Dayn felt a familiar tugging sensation and both looked down in surprise. A moment later their atoms were pulling apart and they both screamed, being pulled through time once more.

_Another update? So soon? I know, it's awesome! I'm really bored and stuff since it's still summer break, and I figure others might be too. I'd hate to have to wait very long wondering what happens next for a whole week. So for now, I'll just update when I feel like it's been long enough, lol._

_Still no Robin Hood, sorry guys! And as usual, I must mention that this storyline and most of the story was written with the help of Kaisaan Greenleaf. Go read her stuff too!  
_

_Please please pleeeease review, it would mean the world to know what people think so far!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Nika opened her eyes with a groan and immediately started sweating. She pushed herself upright and started to shed clothing, so very happy that she could get rid of the smelly furs. Dayn followed her example, soon getting down to his black jeans – they'd been of good quality and they'd let him keep them – and a soft leather shirt. Nika eventually reached a roughly woven cloth dress under all her furs, and was thankful it was sleeveless.

She finally looked around, seeing olive trees on a mountain side. She turned and let her eyes trail downward and gasped. Below them lay the city of Athens…and they were _building_ something on the acropolis! They were in Ancient Greece!

"Wow…" Dayn breathed as he looked over the city, and Nika grinned at him.

"We're being pulled through time!" she exclaimed. "The machine is pulling us back, one step at a time. Eventually we'll get back home!"

She looked down at the city and squealed in excitement. "And in the meantime…Ancient Athens, can you believe it?" she sang, spinning in happiness. Her dress fluttered a bit to settle around her form once more. She needed shoes again, but at least this time she wouldn't get frostbite from not having any.

Dayn smiled, more from watching her than because of where they were, though Nika didn't have to know that. He looked down at the city again, thinking out loud. "So we should see about getting some food...and probably clothing…"

He frowned. "Nika, how are we going to get the money for these things? These people aren't going to be like the ones we were with."

Nika sadly let him pull her back to reality and sighed. "I'm not sure." She admitted. "We can beg for a bit and try and get some spare change at least. I don't really know how the money system here works. I'm going to need to hide my hair though, it's going to be harder to explain here."

She let her excitement over being here fade and made herself focus. "Come on then, can't figure anything out up here." She pointed out, starting down the rocky hillside.

Dayn followed and soon they reached the outskirts of the city. They moved quickly, trying to avoid getting lost or separated in the crowd. Finally, Dayn simply grabbed Nika's hand as they were almost pulled in two different directions by the crowd.

Nika jumped slightly when her hand was grabbed, and for a moment was torn between yanking it free and moving closer to Dayn. She compromised, staying right where she was. It would be really bad if they got separated here.

The pair begged for a time on a street corner, and they much have looked really pitiful in their rough clothing because it didn't take long for them to get enough to get a cheap scarf. Nika tied it around her head in a wide headband, hiding any traces of her colored hair.

Already they were getting fewer weird looks. Good…

Neither of them noticed the well dress man across the street from them, watching the pair with great interest. He was wealthy and a son of an important man here in Greece. As such, he had a number of followers, men from slightly less important families who literally followed him around all day. He was very interested in the oddly dressed pair, and thought he may be able to have some fun with the strangers.

Dayn was relieved when the scarf was tied tightly around Nika's hair, but he was still worried. "What kind of jobs can we get around here?" he asked her softly.

Nika shrugged. "That's the problem, I don't know. I think most trades are family businesses. I could always be a teacher…I know more than most of the men here think they do." She said with a crooked smile. She didn't have a chance to go on, as a well dressed man their age came forward, followed by a few others.

"Excuse me, might I ask your names?" he asked graciously.

"Of course." Nika said, glancing at Dayn. She wasn't sure what to do, and so bobbed a quick curtsy. "I am Nika, this is Dayn."

"Your husband?"

"No." Nika and Dayn said at the same time. The man smiled.

"I see. Well, I am in need of doing some charity. Would you mind coming with me so I can cloth you properly?"

Dayn's jaw almost dropped in shock. Here they were, in need of clothes, and someone just happened to come along and offer them some? He was slightly suspicious as to the man's intentions, but Nika was already nodding.

"Excellent. Come with me, we much get you something decent."

As he turned, expecting the pair to follow. Nika did and Dayn hurried forward to hiss in her ear. The sword charm around his neck was strangely cold, but he ignored in favor of his question.

"What exactly are you doing?"

"In ancient Greece, it's all about the family honor." She whispered back. "You're family name is everything to those in power. I'm assuming this is a young guy who wants to make himself look good, so he helps out a couple of random poor people."

Dayn was doubtful, and honestly so was Nika. But still, she wasn't about to pass up free clothes, not when that was the very thing they needed if they wanted to survive this place.

They were led to a much nicer part of the city, and shown into a shop. The man there was all smiles, welcoming them inside and following the man's instructions to the letter. He'd introduced himself as Antiquis, and was apparently one of the most important young men in the city. According to him anyway.

Nika soon emerged from the small changing area, feeling a tad foolish and very overdressed. She wore a Greek dress in soft violet which flattered her figure perfectly. A gold sash tied around her waist and a second one was wrapped around her head to hide the colored bits of her hair. Her hair had been curled into ringlets and gently tied up in what was apparently the popular fashion. Gold earrings dangled from her ears and bracelets and armbands hung from her arms, and she wore a pair of gold sandals on her feet.

She felt like a painting she was dressed so finely! The man who'd helped them seemed to agree.

"My dear, you do Aphrodite honor." he said with a bow. Nika gave him a twitch of a smile, unsure what else she could say.

Dayn changed quickly, and was none too happy with the result. He wore a very long black tunic, which felt too similar to a dress for his liking. He came out of the dressing room he'd been given, resisting the urge to hide. He finally looked up and caught sight of Nika, and almost forgot to breath.

She was beautiful.

He blinked and swallowed, coming over. The ringlets in her hair were a wonderful touch. His own hair had been brushed out, but he'd refused any styling other that the simple gold band around his head. The dress was bad enough, even if he did wear pants under it.

Nika looked up at Dayn and felt a particularly deep blush appear on her cheeks. She hardly noticed the glances from other men. But the way Dayn looked at her now made her heart do an odd sort of flutter. The look on his face, that stunned amazement…she found herself liking it very much.

She quickly shoved away such thoughts and let a grin come to her face. "Nice dress."

The spell over Dayn seemed to shatter, or so he told himself, and he glared at her. "Oh shut up. It's not my fault Greece has no sense of style." He whispered when he came close. The men probably wouldn't appreciate hearing that.

He looked into Nika's grey eyes and his own softened a bit. "You look nice."

Nika blushed again and looked away, certain he was just teasing her anyway. "Thanks." She mumbled as her brain caught up with her. She tried to think of a better comeback, but Antiquis was coming over now with a smile.

He took Nika's hand and pulled her gently to his side. "You both look splendid. I'd like to invite you join me this afternoon, where I'll be feasting and discussing philosophy and having a wonderful time." He said with a smile.

Dayn wasn't so sure about this. Why would a rich aristocrat randomly invite two obviously poor people with him to such a place? Still, he didn't want to refuse. It was a chance for free food… He looked at Nika who subtly shrugged and nodded and he pulled a smile onto his face.

"We'd be honored to join you. You have our thanks." He said with a slight bow.

"Excellent! Please, come with me." Antiquis said. He lay Nika's hand on his arm and led the way out of the store, his followers absorbing Dayn into their ranks for the moment. As the group made their way through the streets, Antiquis kept up an ongoing conversation with the girl on his arm, and seemed to enjoy making her blush.

Dayn didn't like it, but he wasn't sure if it was just his jealously talking. He stayed quiet, though he wasn't happy about it. The young man was currently trying to ignore the searing cold of his sword charm once again, unsure what it even meant. All he knew was that he was tired of the charm being so bloody annoying.

They were soon led to a rich looking building, and into a room with a long low table surrounded by pillows and piled high with delicious looking food. Nika's mouth started watering at the sight, having been living off of the simplest of things back in the Ice Age for the last two weeks. There were other men at the table, and only two other women. But these women were both holding their own in the discussion. Nika grinned. They had spirit. Maybe that's why Antiquis had invited them along?

The strangers were welcomed with open arms, and enfolded into the group already present. They both took the time to enjoy the food, but philosophy wasn't the most exciting of subjects to discuss for any length of time. As the hours rolled by and people grew more and more inebriated by their wine, they both grew more and more bored.

Dayn drifted off soon after sunset, unable to help it as they were all lounging on pillows. Nika shook her head in exasperated amusement as some of the other joked about him not being able to hold his liquor. Truth be told, she couldn't blame him in the least. If anything, she envied him. Antiquis had kept her involved the entire time, always asking for her opinion on things. The few times she'd been caught unawares of what they were talking about, she'd been teased mercilessly. She'd tried to pay attention after that.

It didn't help that she was no fan of philosophy. All talk and no action, and usually people couldn't come to a conclusion no matter how long they went on. Antiquis seemed to sense her restlessness and smiled, standing and offering her a hand.

"Come, we will walk though the courtyard." He said. Nika nodded and took his hand. She was going to fall asleep from boredom herself soon. She let him help her up and lead her from the room, entering a courtyard full of fountains and gardens.

She was surprised when he took her right past them, and stopped short in the doorway of a bedroom. This was like Chris…exactly like Chris!

"I don't know what you expect of me, but you're not going to get it." She said firmly.

"Of course I am." Antiquis said with an amused look. Suddenly his golden curls didn't look nearly so angelic. He closed the door and latched it with the simple wooden lock. "You're here as my guest, you're here as my whore. Everyone else knows it and so should you. You agreed to it by accepting my charity. Consider this payment for such pretty things."

"Um, no." Nika said, her voice cold in anger as she tried to hide her fear. "I don't know where you men get your fancy codes, but you need to learn to speak plainly. Now let me out."

Back in the dining area, Dayn was dreaming fitfully. A very odd dream at that.

_Who was he?_

_It was a question that even in a dream Dayn didn't know the answer to. He stood in the center of a large circle, looking out into the distance that felt both near and unreachable._

_He saw himself playing soccer. For fun, like he'd done in high school and beside that, he saw himself playing the game as a profession. Dayn was more drawn to the first vision._

_He looked off to his right._

_Frat parties, drunk guys and scantily dressed girls, music and beer. And beside that image, himself talking with Nika, laughing as they threw small bits of cake at each other. He was drawn to his friend._

_Dayn then looked straight ahead and his dark amber eyes locked on to the sword without thought. It was glowing with fire, warm...and big. The image of him held it with skill and ease and his image raised a brow at him as if asking why he was being an idiot._

_And beside the warm, fire-sword vision, was one of ice and frost, fog. The image of him with this sword was in pain and sad, seeming to regret something._

_Dayn suddenly knew he'd been a fool._

He suddenly woke as someone accidently spilled their drink on his side. He jumped up and glared, and looking around, found his heart growing cold with fear. Almost as cold as the icy sword against his chest. Nika was gone. He didn't think before grabbing a knife from the table and leaping to his feet. He immediately started searching the house, knowing she wouldn't have left without saying something.

Nika gasped in surprise more than fear when she was shoved against the wall, grimacing when Antiquis's lips crashed over her's. She struggled and shoved at him, but he only grabbed her wrists and pinned them over her head. He could hold them both with a single hand her wrists were so thin. She growled low in her throat, trying to get away, as his free hand started to slide up and under her dress.

She finally managed to wrench her head free and she screeched angrily, kicking his shins and stomping on his feet. "Get off of me!" she yelled, her fear only making her angrier.

Dayn heard the yell and was moving to the door it had come from before he even realized it had been Nika. The locked door put up almost no resistance, as his soccer strengthened legs kicked it open.

Dark amber eyes took in the scene faster than he could think, and the cutting knife was at Antiquis's throat before the man could do more than blink in confusion.

"Release her." He said, his voice a low hiss.

Nika trembled in fright and glared at the frozen man, but he was angry, not scared. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "This is my girl for the night, I'm not so charitable as to share her with you!"

He didn't remove his hand from Nika's leg, instead, letting his fingers creep higher.

Dayn didn't hesitate to press the knife deeper, and a single drop of blood dripped down his pale neck. "We're not sharing. You are going to let Nika go, or I am going to kill you. It's as simple as that, Greek."

There was no doubt or hesitation in Dayn's voice. He could see and sense Nika's fear, and that was all he needed to make his blood boil.

Nika shivered when Antiquis finally released her, and she didn't hesitate to move behind Dayn in an effort to feel safe. She was still shaking slightly, and her adrenaline rush was all that was keeping her sane.

"Leave." The Greek spat angrily. "Take the girl and leave. I want you out of this city!"

Dayn only looked at the man for a moment before turning, grabbing Nika's wrist and leaving swiftly. He dropped the knife on the table as they hurried by, ignoring the calls from those still there. They got to the streets and started running, fleeing to where they knew the city gates lay. Dayn kept glancing at Nika, wanting to be sure she was alright.

Nika was not alright. She let Dayn pull her along, but the way he held her wrist reminded her too much of Antiquis, and her trembling was only getting worse. Her adrenaline rush was leaving as quickly as it had come. She stumbled more and more the further they ran, unfamiliar sandals and skirts not helping. All the while her head spun with everything that had happened that day. Had Dayn really helped kill that mammoth only earlier that afternoon? It was just too much…

Dayn saw the fear in her eyes and almost skidded to a top. He pulled Nika into the shadows of the nearest building and pulled her into a gentle hug. He could feel her rapid heartbeat against his chest, contrasting his own quick but steady one.

"Hey, it's alright…it's alright Nika." He whispered into her hair.

Nika didn't want to let his kind words reach her, but she couldn't stay strong. Not right now. A silent sob pulled its way from her throat, followed by more and accompanied by a wave of tears. She trembled against him, crying into his shoulder and hanging onto him for dear life.

"I was so scared." She managed to whisper. "It was like Chris all over again, but worse!"

Dayn held her tightly, running fingers through her curled hair as he lowered them both to the ground, pulling her into his lap. "Hush…shh, it's alright Nika, you're safe. It's okay now." He whispered.

But it wasn't. Now two men had tried to use Nika, and he'd failed to prevent it both times. He was furious with both them and himself. He distantly felt something warm against his chest and realized he was trying to stay calm. The gentle warming of the small sword meant he was doing something right.

He pulled Nika the smallest bit closer, and the girl felt something warm against her arm, coming from beneath Dayn's toga. She pulled back a bit and looked down, fingers reaching up to the warm spot and she felt the lump.

"Your charm?" she asked, looking up at him.

Dayn swallowed. Her grey eyes, edged with black khol and shining from leftover tears, seemed to pop more than usual. He looked down at his chest to avoid looking into her eyes, fearing he may do something stupid. Like kiss her. Yes…that would be the stupidest thing he could possibly do. Right? He touched the sword through the fabric, fingers brushing hers, and felt it cool again.

He sighed. "I made a mistake."

Nika raised an eyebrow. "Mistake? What mistake?" she asked in confusion. She traced the outline of the sword for a moment before pulling her hand back, realizing what she was doing.

Not to mention where she was. How had she gotten in his lap?

Dayn sensed that they were both coming back to awareness, and that the moment was over. He moved, helping Nika up as he got to his feet, sighing and looking away.

"The sword grew cold…like, freezing, when we met Antiquis." He told her. "It's been doing it on and off since we met up with him. I ignored it, I didn't know what it wanted."

"But you do now?" she asked very confused. "Before it was burning you, and now it's doing the opposite?" She shook her head as they left the alley, once more making their way to the gates of the city. "It's confusing…"

Dayn shook his head slightly. "No it's not. Not anymore." He saw her glance and continued. He saw no reason to keep it from Nika, and wondered why he felt like he had to remind himself of that… "It gets warm when I'm doing something right or something good is happening. The cold is a warning of danger or…evil." He paused, thinking as they moved through the city gates. "It gets hot when I'm doing something wrong. Like a reprimand I think."

Nika had to chuckle, wiping her face of drying tears. "I was right, your jewelry does think you're an idiot." She said with a wry grin.

She shivered and looked around, rubbing her arms a bit. Her dress was fine linen and not very warm, and it had cooled off considerably when the sun went down. "So now what do we do?"

Dayn sighed and was about to say something when he was hit on the shoulder with something heavy enough to send him sprawling. He scrambled away from it only to see…his backpack? He blinked and looked up at the dark sky. Where in the world had it come from?

Nika stared at the backpack, then at Dayn sprawled on the ground, and couldn't help but burst out laughing. She wasn't sure if it was just that she'd been so stressed or if it was really that funny, but soon her stomach hurt and she was forced to sit down on a large stone.

She had no idea how the thing had managed to find them, but it had certainly been funny!

Dayn grumbled as he got to his feet, shooting a glare at Nika as he went to his backpack. He crouched and unzipped it, pulling things out. An iPod, school books, a zip-up hoodie, two bars of chocolate, two sandwiches in plastic bags, pens, gum, a pocket knife…

He tossed the hoodie at Nika. "Put that on."

Nika, still giggling in amusement, didn't bother to argue. She pulled it on, noting distantly that it smelled like him and was huge on her. She hugged it close, watching as he put everything away again.

She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped, frowning. "We're being pulled again." She whispered, feeling the pulling sensation. Silver sparks were circling them now, and she braced herself for the pain she knew was coming.

Dayn groaned but grabbed her hand as they were pulled through, their atoms separating and making them both scream.

_Ah Nika...you just attract trouble, don't you? I admit, i'm kind iffy on this chapter...not sure if I like it as much as the others... But I wanna hear what you think!_

_Kaisaan Greenleaf roleplayed this story out with me, just a reminder than I'm not the one who deserves all the credit!_

_Please please review, it's the only way I know if anyone is reading this, let alone enjoying it ._

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Nika awoke to the sound of something very loud. She opened her eyes to see a rough stone ceiling, and a frightened woman screaming to her side. She and Dayn appeared to have landed on a bed or something!

Dayn rolled off the edge of the bed and scrambled to his feet, apologizing and trying to calm the woman down. She stopped screaming immediately, staring in shock.

Nika pushed herself into a sitting position, and then off the bed herself. She was still wearing Dayn's large hoodie over her Greek dress. An odd combination for any time period.

"We're terribly sorry, we didn't mean to end up here." She said quickly.

"Are…are the two of you wizards in training?" she asked, quickly getting over her fright.

"Um…something like that." Nika said weakly.

Dayn bit back a nervous chuckle and smiled too. He stopped at the way the woman looked at him, and started backing to the door, grabbing his backpack.

"Come, fellow wizard." He said quickly, beckoning to Nika. "We have to get back to…um…master Merlin!" he said, giving the name of the first wizard to come to mind.

The woman sighed and shook her head. "He was in the courtyard last I saw him." She said, matter-of-factly as if she'd just given them the time. "And do me a favor and remind him to give the ladies his laundry. He's been wearing the same clothes for three days now, and people are starting to complain."

Nika's jaw dropped as the woman went back to cleaning, as if she spoke of Merlin every day. "The courtyard? Merlin the wizard is in the courtyard?" she repeated dumbly.

"There isn't another Merlin, thank goodness. Best be on your way."

Dayn saw that Nika was too shocked to move, and grabbed her arm to pull her out the door. "_The_ Merlin, Nika. We're going to meet the real Merlin! And now we know what time we're in. The time of King Arthur." He could feel a bubble of excitement in the pit of his stomach and struggled to keep the grin off his face.

Nika was shivering in excitement as well as confusion. "We...we know nothing about Arthur aside from the stories. We don't know what he'll find here." she reminded him firmly. "We have to be careful...not to mention we could insult someone and end up with our heads cut off. I'd like to keep my head, I'm rather attached to it."

Dayn grimaced, trying to calm himself down. She was right, he didn't want to forget where he was, not when there was a very real possibility that he'd get them both killed.

The pair wound their way through the stone hallways, eventually finding the courtyard after a few wrong turns. A man a few years older than them came over, light brown hair worn long in a ponytail, and his chin a bit scruffy from lack of shaving. He was a very good looking man, whose eyes were as grey as her own.

"About time you arrived!" he said with a smile. "You shouldn't experiment with spells you aren't ready for." He teased.

Dayn knew instantly that this must be Merlin, though he was nothing like the old, white bearded man he'd been expecting. The sword on his chest warmed too, telling him something good was happening.

He raised a brow and words came from his mouth before he could stop them. "Then maybe our master should be keeping a better eye on us."

Merlin scoffed. "I'm not your nanny, you two should know better. If you don't, I'll put you both in diapers as a reminder."

Nika made a face. "We apologize for our insolence, _Master_. Perhaps you'd care to explain what we did wrong?" Or what was going on…

Merlin nodded and grinned again. "Come, my home awaits us." He said, sweeping past them and towards a large archway. Nika sent a scathing look in Dayn's direction for being rude, before hurrying to follow. Merlin led them out of the castle and to a small house within the small village inside the castle's exterior walls.

The tiny hut they were led to looked completely normal on the outside, but on the inside was anything but. The wood used to build the walls seemed to be still alive! Branches crisscrossed the ceiling, leaves fluttering in the breeze from the windows. Table supports grew right up from the dirt floor, surfaces covered in glass bottles and more plants, and the shelves were filled with dusty books covered in strange writing.

"So…you really are the real Merlin?"

"That's me." he said with a smile. "And who are you two exactly? I've never seen you before, and I didn't know you were coming. Which is pretty much unheard of."

Dayn smiled back as he leaned against a table, looking around with interest. "I'm Dayn, and this is Nika. We're…not really sure why we're here."

Nika snorted lightly. "We're not from around here."

Merlin chuckled. "I can see that. You two come from a long way away, and not only in distance. You need some decent clothing or you'll never blend in. Stay here, I'll be back in a moment."

He disappeared without a sound right where he stood, making Nika jump in surprise. She sighed and looked herself over, then started pulling off the jewelry she still wore. Dayn picked them up as she took them off, placing them in his backpack. Who knew if they'd want them again later.

Nika looked out the window at the late afternoon sunlight. "I just want to sleep, I feel like I've been going for three days now." She complained. Behind her, Dayn pulled off the stupid Greek toga, now wearing only his jeans. Nika didn't turn, but she could feel the blush growing on her cheeks.

"I know what you mean." The male said. "How long do you think we'll be here?"

"I'm not sure. There hasn't been a pattern of any sort yet." She replied with a shrug, still watching the people moving past the window.

Dayn nodded and crossed his arms, leaning against a work table. "The Arthurian age…it's hard to believe. I wonder how long the King has been on the throne."

"A few years." Merlin had popped back into the room as if he'd never gone, making Nika jump again. He chuckled at her, and handed out clothing. A simple pair of pants and shirt went to Dayn, and a dress to Nika. "He's starting to get itchy feet though. Building Camelot took up his attention for a while, as well as his lovely wife. But now he's talking of heading on a crusade for the Holy Grail."

Nika looked up in slight surprise. "And who will protect the throne while he's away?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll leaving in the next few days to search for a suitable man."

Nika bit her tongue, looking at Dayn and warning him to do the same with her eyes. They could _not_ change history, it would screw up everything. Dayn nodded, hissing slightly as the sword charm burned hot. Sheesh, he wasn't going to say anything! As soon as he'd thought it, it cooled, leaving him rubbing his chest in pain.

Nika hurried to distract Merlin. "Right…well we need to change. And in order for me to do so, either you both need to leave or I need another room or something."

Merlin chuckled and pulled back a curtain from around a small sleeping area where his bed was. "Best I can do, lass."

"Thanks…" she whispered, dropping the dress on the bed and closing the curtain. She didn't start changing until she was certain it was closed all the way. She giggled as Merlin had to explain to Dayn how to loop his belt properly after he'd quickly changed out in the main room.

By the time she was done changing, she was rather confused though. The dress she'd been given was a rick deep red with gold trim, hugging her body to her hips where it flared out gracefully. The long sleeves hugged her arms, ending in points on the back of her hands. A gold chain brained with red silk thread wrapped around her waist, the ends hanging down the front of the skirt., and a pair of soft brown boots completed the outfit.

She emerged once given the all-clear, her cheeks almost as red as the dress. "You're dressing me up as a lady. I'm no such thing." She insisted.

Dayn looked up and once again had to fight the urge to sweep over and kiss her senseless, an urge that was getting worse and worse lately. He hadn't thought she could get any lovelier after that last outfit, but she'd proved him wrong. His own clothes were nothing compared to her.

"Ah, you don't look that bad." He teased. It was safer than saying anything else at this point.

Merlin chuckled as Nika glared at Dayn. "You are a lady. Or at least you will be while you're here. I have it all figured out. You're a visiting lady, and Dayn is your manservant. Sorry Dayn, but she can pull off the dress better than you." He teased. Dayn had no argument. "And this way you'll be given the same rooms.

Nika was now glaring at both of the men, which was ignored by Merlin. Dayn chuckled and looked at the wizard. "So Nika is a Lady and I'm her servant…where are we staying?"

Merlin grinned. "In the palace of course! That's the reason for the status upgrade after all. Here, put this on. You'll be her guard too." He said, tossing a sheathed sword to Dayn. "Only way to explain why she's traveling with only one man."

Nika had to smile as Dayn immediately attached the sheath to his belt, looking as if he was born to wear such a weapon on his hip. "Why are you doing all this for us?"

"Excitement!" Merlin said, practically beaming. "Things can get rather boring around here, and we can't have that for long. Bored wizards lead to rather explosive experiments."

Dayn chuckled. "And I take it Arthur doesn't like such experiments?"

"Hardly." The wizard replied. "The West Wing of the Castle has yet to be rebuilt."

Nika raised an eyebrow.

"It was safe!" the man insisted. "Everyone was at the tournament at the time!"

Dayn laughed as Nika giggled merrily, and rested against a table once more. "So what's our story? Why are we here?"

Merlin thought about it for a moment. "I'm going to say that you're from West Sussex, a small barony there. Nika will be the daughter of the Baron, traveling to visit her betrothed."

"How come I have to be engaged?" Nika asked, making a face.

"Because it'll keep the unmarried knights from…_proposing_ to you while you're here." Merlin said bluntly.

"Oh..."

Dayn nodded, ignoring the jealous bubble in his throat at the very thought of other men looking at Nika that way, and looked out the window at the darkening sky. "And we're staying at the palace?"

Merlin nodded. "The palace, that way you'll be sure to be offered a room. We don't turn away strangers in need of a place to stay. If you show up now, you'll be taken straight to supper, where everyone is right now. It'll also mean that no one will be around to see that you have no belongings being taken to your rooms."

Nika nodded and sighed, straightening her shoulders. "Let's go then... I'm starving and exhausted." She said bluntly.

Merlin chuckled and led them from the house. "I'm sure you are. It's been a long day for you two."

He refused to explain the comment as he led them back to the palace and to the noisy room where the palace was enjoying supper. He left to explain their presence to the man at the head of the room, who had to be Kind Arthur. He was very good looking and well liked, and there was an air of power that seemed to envelope him. Merlin may have magic, but Arthur was the one changing history.

The dining hall itself was decorated as if for a feast, but this must be an every day kind of dinner. Garlands draped along the edges of the tables, which were set up in a U shape around the edge of the room. In the center of the empty space, a large pig was being roasted over an open fire. Those eating did so with their fingers, sharing their wine goblets with the person next to them. No one had a personal plate, they all ate from the communal food platters. Dogs wandered through the crowd of people, gobbling scraps of food that fell from the tables, and sauces and wine spilled onto the rushes that covered the flagstone floor. Nika knew that when the meal was over, the rushes would be thrown out and fresh ones put down. It was easier than scrubbing a porous stone floor, but it was still gross.

The atmosphere may be lovely, but there was still that underlying layer of filth that people lived in. That was never told in stories.

"Let's eat." She said softly, leading the way to an empty spot on one of the side tables. No one had eaten anything here yet, so the goblets were probably still clean… They stayed quiet for most of the meal, listening to the people around them. When someone did stop by to ask why they weren't joining in with the merrymaking, they had the excuse of a long day of travelling.

Nika was sure the day had to end soon. If it didn't, she'd fall asleep on her plate. She finally sat back with a full stomach and sipped from her goblet. She'd kept hold of it, not wanting to share with any strangers. Now, she handed it to Dayn.

"Here, drink."

Dayn took the glass and sipped without thinking, grimacing at the taste. Right, he'd forgotten. After everything this past year, he hated alcohol. He sighed and took a small bite of something, just to get rid of the taste, and handed the goblet back to Nika.

The girl raised an eyebrow and sipped at the wine again. Frankly, it was wonderful, nice and sweet, just the way she liked it. "What's wrong with it?" she asked, pouring herself another glass.

Dayn didn't look at her as he answered. "Nothing. I just don't want to drink anymore. It makes me an ass."

Nika snorted in a most unladylike way, getting a few odd looks from nearby men, and nodded. "I'll say it does." She said with feeling. "Did you even know the name of the girl whose face you were eating when I left that party?"

Dayn spun to face her, amber eyes wide. "What? I did what? I…I don't remember that." He insisted. How could he have done such a thing…when the only girl he wanted was Nika?

The girl in question made a face. "I don't think I can forget. She was gorgeous, nice figure and such…" she whispered. She was a bit touchy about that. She didn't have much of a figure, and certainly nothing to show off. She swirled the wine in the cup, but didn't take another drink, instead setting it down and shrugging. "You grabbed her some point after telling me to shove off and before I left."

She looked around the hall and was suddenly sick of the bright colors and the loud, too-happy singing. She abruptly stood. "I'm going to bed." She told him, sweeping from the room before he could say a word. She didn't want to hear whatever excuses he'd try and make for himself.

Dayn sat numb in his chair, feeling like he'd gotten hit in the stomach with a high-speed soccer ball. He was almost glad she'd left, he didn't know what to say. He didn't remember the girl, nice figure or not, but he did recall vague snippets of his conversation with Nika. It made him feel sick to know he'd spoken to her in such a way.

He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. He may not remember what had happened that night, but Nika did. He now didn't think he stood a chance of getting his friend back. Maybe he'd never really had a chance at all.

When Nika woke the next morning, she felt as if a storm cloud had situated itself above her head. She looked out the window, not surprised that it was past noon. She'd never felt so tired in her life…

She pushed herself upright and ran her fingers through her hair. The Greek ringlets from the day before had gone entirely flat by now, and she was sure strands of her hair were probably sticking up all over the place.

A knock on the door made her wince and sighed and she halfheartedly called for them to come in. It was Merlin who entered, shutting the door behind him. He carried a bundle of clothing in his arms and dropped it on the bed.

"I figured if you were still here, you may want a change of clothing. It's look a bit odd for a Lady to be wearing the same dress twice in a row."

Nika offered him a tired smile, not caring that the man was seeing her in the plain white shift she'd been given. He didn't seem to care either, for which she was grateful. She didn't want to deal with this time's modesty crisis.

"Thanks…some for Dayn too?"

"Yup. If he ever comes back. He was down visiting me this morning, but he seemed distracted. He went riding I think." He gave her a stern look. "I believe it was you making him so upset."

Nika shrugged, finger combing her hair. "Serves him right. After everything he's put me through, he deserves to be upset."

Merlin sighed. "He's been through a lot too Nika. He won't say as much, and I doubt he's even thinking as much…but it's not all his fault."

"Yes it is." Nika answered, voice cold. She stood from the bed and went to the window. "He had a choice. He made the wrong one."

Merlin sighed. "Perhaps…but I think we both know it's more complicated than that." The door opened and closed and she knew he'd left.

Nika rested her head against the side of the slit of a window, sighing heavily. Merlin's words had been too close to thoughts she'd been having lately. She wasn't sure she liked it. It was so much easier to stay mad with Dayn than trying to forgive him after everything.

She turned and dressed, in no mood for the super fancy getup from the day before. She wore a loose cream dress instead, with a long sleeveless dress in dark grey over it. For formality's sake, she added a silver woven belt, knowing that she still needed to look her rank. Her fake rank.

She was starting to forget what that was…for days she'd been pretending to be more than she was. Heck, for months. Even back at school, she was pretending to be this awesome confident person…a person she was starting to wonder at. Was that a fake too? A mask to make things easier?

She didn't even know.

She stood and moved to the door without thought, leaving the room a mess behind her. She couldn't care less right now, sweeping through the halls and tying a silver scarf around her head as she went. Dayn had gone riding, and that sounded good to her. She needed to get away from all these people.

Dayn had been riding for hours, but he was in no hurry to go back. As much as he loved this time, there were just too many people squished into such a small space. He couldn't even get a decent breeze in the city.

Maybe he'd spent too much time with the village in 10,000 BCE, but he missed the openness of their way of life. Camelot was a fascinating place to explore, but he'd never want to live here.

The hours in the countryside had helped, and the forest had proved wonderfully distracting from his confusing thoughts.

Soon, he'd even be able to face Nika again.

Just thinking of the girl made him groan and his heart plummet. She'd never forgive him would she? And honestly, could he blame her?

A scream in the woods stopped his heart, and he suddenly realized that the charm around his neck was icy cold. He cursed a dozen different ways to himself as he kicked his horse into a run. As he grew closer, he recognized the sounds of shouting, all in a familiar voice. Nika.

"Get away from me! You idiots, I don't have anything to steal, what do you hope to achieve here?"

"Where's your purse? Your protector? A lady never leaves without either."

"Well I'm not your typical Lady, get over it."

Dayn crashed into the clearing to see Nika astride a horse, surrounded by eight men who could only be bandits. Their clothing was more ragged and mismatched, but they all carried very fine weapons. Half of them spun to face him when he appeared and Dayn realized something.

He didn't have a weapon.

Nika looked up, surprise written in her eyes. How was it he always managed to find her so quickly? Not that she cared right now, he was about to get killed just for showing up. She wasn't sure if she was more annoyed or worried about the fact.

The bandits moved without a word, a seamless team. Dayn moved faster. He swung from the horse and ducked as one of them leapt. Time seemed to slow down, as if he had all the time in the world. Dayn barely noticed the surprised look on the bandit's face as he lunged right over Dayn. He didn't hear Nika's gasp of fear as someone swung a blade, or realize that he'd already stepped cleanly out of the way of the sword that had been about to behead him.

What broke the spell and shocked him beyond the ability to think was the sudden weight in his hand as the sword-charm grew with a sound like thunder, filling his palm, molding to his hand in a way a weapon never had.

He felt the song of the sword, felt its anger mix with his own, twin storms of rage and energy. The blade rippled like silver water as he swung it, stopping short of the bandit leader's neck with iron control as he came forward.

Nika's jaw dropped, recognizing the sword in Dayn's hand. The gold hit, the silver blade…it was the charm she'd given him, the one he'd had on a necklace. But now it was…normal sized?

She wasn't the only one to recognize the blade. "How do you have Excalibur?" one of the bandits asked fearfully. Was this Arthur in disguise? Hell, for all they knew, this might be Arthur himself!

"Who cares, let's go. We're sorry your lordship!" one of the others said. Taking their cue, the men all turned and ran for the trees. The leader slowly backed up, making sure Dayn wouldn't cut his throat, before following.

The pair left listened as the sounds of their frantic running faded to silence, soon replaced by birds. They both stared at the sword in shock, neither sure what had just happened.

"Are you alright?" Dayn finally asked, almost as surprised to hear himself speak as Nika was. She nodded, and finally cleared her own throat.

"Fine. That's Excalibur? It has to be…it's the same one Arthur had with him last night. How'd you get it?"

Dayn looked at the sword which now rested serenely across his palms. The silver blade rippled like water, and the gold hilt with its rubies glowed with an inner fire. It even felt warm in his hands, the sign that something good was happening.

"Nika…this is my charm." He finally said, glancing at the leather thong which still hung from the hilt.

Nika's jaw dropped as she dismounted and came forward. "No way." She said flatly. "There is no way that a charm I bought at a pawn shop when we were kids is Excalibur. It's impossible."

Dayn glared, suddenly angry. He strode over to Nika and shoved the blade into her hands, pulsing hot, warning. "Here, then go give it back to Arthur if you think I'm lying! I'm sure he'll be interested to know why there are TWO of his swords around. Let's just screw up history altogether!"

He spoke with a bite in his voice. "That's what you think I've done anyway."

Nika glared right back and put the sword back in his hands. "I don't think you screwed up history, just everything else!" she snapped. "You ruined everything Dayn! Your future, your life, our friendship…it was all you, not me."

Dayn stared at her, both shocked and angry. All the anger he'd felt at the bandits was now aimed at Nika. The sword burned his hand and he dropped it, letting it fall to the forest floor. He didn't want to be warned or stopped, he just wanted to, once again, hurt Nika as much as she had just hurt him.

"All me? You're the one that pulled away and started going out with any guy that would look at you!" he snarled. Her words had stabbed him through the heart, twisting and burying deep. Because they were true. But that didn't matter right now.

Nika rolled her eyes and snorted. "Yeah right. I didn't pull away from anyone Dayn, let alone you. I was sick of being the shy nerdy girl, so I changed myself. And unlike you, I changed for the better. So what if I went out with a couple guys? For the first time in my _life_, I was getting noticed! Can you blame me?"

Dayn clenched his teeth and his voice was low. "You did pull away, whether you knew it or not. You didn't need me anymore, and I decided I didn't need you either."

"Oh really?" Nika asked in mock surprise. "And how exactly did I give any sign of not needing you? Who was the one who would try and talk to you in the halls? Who was the one who sent countless e-mails which were never answered? Who was the one shoved aside like an old toy? Me." She spat, grey eyes burning with fury.

Dayn was about to answer when he suddenly felt a now familiar tearing sensation. Neither of them had noticed the silver sparks. He gritted his teeth against the pain as they were both pulled through time once more.

_Hehe, I like this chapter...Merlin is sooo much fun to roleplay, he's so random and high on himself :D And I really enjoy making Dayn and Nika fight. Good times all around, eh? No? Maybe it's just me then, lol._

_Written with Kaisaan Greenleaf, as a roleplay originally._

_Please review, I am desperate to know what everyone thinks!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Nika groaned as she woke on a hard floor, and pressed a hand to her forehead. She shifted and realized someone was lying on her legs. She looked down at see Dayn slowly waking up and hurried to get away from him. She was still very angry at the things he'd said, and had no plans on forgiving him. Ever.

She looked around with curious grey eyes, wondering where they'd gone this time.

Not far apparently. They sat in a large, cold stone hall, a smaller version of a castle she supposed. The sky was grey and gloomy outside, leaving the hall shadowed and depressing. It was dirtier than the hall at Camelot, but more from lack of care than overuse. The floor was swept clean, but the wall and ceiling above the large fireplace was stained black from smoke. Far above them, wooden rafters supported the roof.

"Who is there?" a voice said, echoing slightly in the large room. She turned to see a man at a table. It wasn't a large banquet table, more a personal one. She had the feeling this place didn't see many banquets.

Dayn stood first, though he didn't touch the sword on the floor. It was glowing red hot, and she was sure it'd burn anyone who touched it. She wondered why the older man hadn't said anything about it, and then realized he was blind.

"Dayn Arius." The young man said, looking around himself. Nika got to her feet as well, shaking out her skirts.

The man smiled and nodded. "And your friend?"

"I'm Nika Delake." She added, a bit peeved that Dayn hadn't bothered to introduce her. "And I'm not his friend." She added firmly, ignoring the glare Dayn sent her at the words.

"Ah, a lady! And where did the two of you come from? No one announced that you would arrive, and most don't do so with such a tussle of noise." He said. Nika was glad to see he was still smiling, seeming curious rather than angry.

"We're…travelers." Dayn scrambled. "We dropped in unannounced, my lord. Please forgive us if we disturbed you."

The man nodded. "I am not complaining. Many people do not care to visit an old man, even Walter of Locksley. Please, sit. Join me for supper."

"Locksley?" Nika asked in surprise as they moved forward.

"Indeed. We're not the richest lands in England, even before Prince John took the throne. As I'm sure you've heard, he's been raising taxes almost weekly. I fully expect him to come for our seed grain next harvest."

Dayn and Nika took their seats, and Nika nodded before she remembered Walter was blind.

"We've heard. We're traveling to search for work." She invented. It was the perfect cover story, allowing them to be strangers in the town.

Dayn was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that they were in the age of Robin Hood. Well, why not? They'd come from the time of King Arthur after all… He looked at Nika, but her face was cold to him. He wasn't surprised, his own expression was guarded.

"Is King Richard still on his crusade? We're behind on the news, we haven't stopped in a town for a time."

Walter sighed and sat back in his chair. "I'm afraid this month has been one batch of bad news after another. King Richard was gravely injured. He is back in England, but rests in his palace, near death it is feared. His younger brother, Prince John, remains on the throne. I suspect he is only pleased about his brother's illness. He wasn't happy about the idea giving up the throne when the king was to return." He sighed and laced his fingers together. "Three days ago, I received news that my son, Robert, was killed a few weeks ago before he had a chance to return. My daughter in law died last night of a fever."

Nika's mind raced, unable to eat as her thought swirled. Robert of Locksley was Robin Hood, how could he be dead? And Richard was supposed to come back to England and right his brother's wrongs, including pardoning Robin of his crimes as an outlaw. And what about Marian? And Little John and all the other famous people?

Dayn spoke softly, though his eyes showed confusion as well. "We're terribly sorry to hear of your loss, my lord. I wish there was a way we could help you."

Walter gained a thoughtful look and sat upright once more. "You may be able to, but first, I need to see you both. My Lady Nika first, come." He gestured to the floor beside his chair and Nika hurried to him. She knelt at his instruction and his fingers traced her face and fingered her hair. "Hmm…what color is your hair?"

"Black my lord. And I have grey eyes." She whispered, unsure what he was doing.

"Grey? Excellent." He said, his smile widening. "Come Dayn, your turn."

Dayn wasn't sure what was going on, but he obediently came forward and knelt, letting Walter "see" him.

"My hair is black as well my lord, and my eyes are amber." He said without prompt, though confusion laced his voice.

Walter waved them back to their seats, sitting in silent thought for a moment. His sightless eyes stared unwaveringly at a spot in midair, but the smile was only growing on his weathered face.

"Do the two of you have a destination? A place to stay?"

"Um…no. No we don't, my lord." Nika said softly.

"Have you spoken with anyone in town?"

"They don't even know we're here my lord." Dayn told him, hiding a smile as to the real reason.

Walter was practically beaming now. "How would the two of you like to become a part of my family?"

Nika blinked in confusion. "I…beg your pardon? My lord?" she added quickly.

"Let me explain… My son left home almost five years ago now, after being away half of his childhood. His wife was sick when they married, and she has been bedridden for much of her married life. The people of this town no longer remember what they even looked like. I am getting old, and now, I have no heir to take over my lands."

"I'm afraid I still don't understand." Nika prompted when he paused.

"I would like the two of you to take their place." He said with a smile. "You will be Lord and Lady of the lands here in Nottingham. You will be able to care for my people better than I can, and keep the corrupted Sheriff from mistreating them."

Dayn stared at the man. "My Lord…you don't even know us! How can you ask this? Offer this?"

He looked at Nika, eyes wide. This wasn't in history? They could screw everything up! Then it hit him. Things were already screwed up…heck, Robin Hood wasn't even alive! Dayn still wasn't sure though. And what about the time machine?

Walter smiled, tapping the side of his nose in a secretive sort of way. "I'm an excellent judge of character young man." He said. "Stuffy as a Robin Redbreast, isn't he?" he said to Nika, who had to hide a smile even as her mind whirled.

"My Lord…we don't know when we'll be leaving. It could be a day, a week, an hour…we can't know for certain."

"Call it an old man's intuition, but I believe it will be a while longer than that. When you must leave, you can do so. But for now, I am offering you a way to survive these hard times and myself an escape from a problem. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement."

It was the sword that made the decision. It had cooled considerably since they'd arrived and now pulsed warmly in Dayn's hand. It seemed very happy about the situation, and Dayn knew to listen to it by now.

"I am willing to accept your offer, my lord. You have my services for as long as I can give them."

Walter smiled, and turned to look in Nika's general direction. She bit her lip, feeling like a lot weighed on this decision. In the end, she didn't have much choice. She couldn't really leave Dayn by himself and not do anything herself.

"I'll stay too. I only hope I can help." She told him.

Walter smiled warmly at them. "You both already have, trust me. Now, I must explain things to the three house servants, they'll be the only ones to know the truth. And there's no way to hide anything from those three." He said with a chuckle. "Cora! Cora bring Evelyn and Thomas, will you?"

Cora, a russet haired woman with a plump build, bustled into the dinging hall, followed by a tiny girl with the palest blond hair and a young man with rich brown hair. "No need to go bellowing, my Lord Walter. Now what's all the fuss about?"

As Walter explained the situation, Nika's mind reeled, not knowing Dayn was thinking much the same things. What had they just agreed to? To be the Lord and Lady of these lands? To be responsible for all the people on them? Dayn was suddenly on his way to being one of the most well known men in history! What had they gotten themselves into?

Evelyn opened pale blue eyes wide when Walter was finished. "You mean…we're going to trick everyone?" she asked in a soft but lovely voice.

"Yes, including the Sheriff. I don't doubt he'll be back to see me again tomorrow. It'll be good to hear the annoyance in his voice when I tell him my son is back." Walter said with a smile.

Nika giggled softly. "You're a trouble maker, my lord."

"Indeed I am! I wish I'd caused more trouble in my youth, I must do so now before I die." He said happily.

Dayn chuckled and turned to see the reactions of the servants. Evelyn was glowing with the promise of excitement, and Cora simply took it all in stride. Thomas, the youngest of the three, grinned at the thought of annoying the sheriff. He turned to the newcomers and bowed low, green eyes shining.

"Good to have you home Lord Robert, and to see you well again Lady Marian. You look quite lovely this evening." He said happily. Cora cuffed him gently over the head.

"Back to the kitchens, you. Go on!" The boy darted away, laughing.

Dayn looked at Nika in surprise. Now they really were screwed. He was defiantly in the place of Robin Hood, and Nika was Marian…his love interest.

Nika slumped weakly in her chair and looked at her knees, licking dry lips.

"My Lord Walter…Robert and Marian are…married?"

"That would be correct. I think it may be best if you share your room, just to complete the illusion."

"I was afraid you'd say that." Nika grumbled softly.

"Oh pish posh, it'll be fine. The bed is big enough for ten, let alone you two. Now off you go, Evelyn will show you to your room."

The pale haired girl smiled warmly at the two and led them up a winding staircase to one side of the hall, which ended at a heavy wooden door.

"Your room, my Lord and Lady." The girl said. She turned to leave, paused, and looked back at them. "It really is good of you to do this. We need all the help we can get." She said softly before she disappeared down the stairs.

Nika sighed. "I suppose that just made this all this worth it." She said, pushing open the door. In a way it had. She'd be helping…she just had to keep reminding herself that.

The bed in the room was rather large yes, but not enough for ten as Walter had claimed. Dayn decided to not even bother and moved to drop his bag on the floor by the fireplace. "You can have the bed."

"Yes I will." Nika said, too angry with him to even say thanks. She moved to the bed and undid her silvery belt and headscarf, sliding out of her dress. She'd sleep in the sleeveless under-dress once more.

Dayn in the meantime had set himself a bed by the fire, and was planning on sleeping in his plain clothing. He'd have to wear something better quality the next day anyway.

He sat down on the floor and sighed. "This is all wrong."

Nika slipped into the bed and tossed a pillow at Dayn, followed by the itchiest blanket she had.

"I don't know if it is." She told him. "We could very well be the ones from the story. We know our parts, we only have to act them out."

Dayn glared at her. "Oh really? And how do you expect to convince everyone that we're lovers or even married? Hmm?" he lay back, staring at the rafters. "This is messed up and you know it, Nika."

Nika rolled her eyes. "Being married doesn't equal being in love. In medieval times, marriage wasn't always for love. Convenience and status mattered more. It's likely that Marian didn't even know Robert before marrying him. And he must have left for the crusades right after. We can dislike each other all we want in public." She stated, flopping back on the bed.

Dayn shook his head. "You're forgetting one teeny tiny _huge_ detail here. Robin Hood and Marian are in love. It ends up one of the most important parts of the legend." He said. He wanted her to understand that they were playing with fire here. Legends, stories, tales, everything had to be taken into account or they _would_ change history.

"I know, Dayn." Nika spat back. "You think I don't?" She sighed and rolled onto her stomach, screaming softly into her pillow. "You're so infuriating. It's going to be impossible to even pretend to like you." She growled when she was done.

Dayn was too tired to argue. He simply rolled onto his side, watching the flames on the fire flicker before closing his eyes.

"I know." He whispered before falling asleep.

Nika heard the soft words and burst into silent tears. He wasn't supposed to agree! The jerk was supposed to stay that way, to keep reminding her why they hated each other so much.

She missed the old Dayn, but the new one was so easy to be angry with. She was just so stressed…with all the time traveling and pretending to be various people. She missed home, where she could go home and relax at the end of the day. Where there were no ex-best friends sleeping on the floor of her room.

She sighed into her pillow, tears slowly dampening it as she cried herself to sleep.

Dayn rode beside Nika through the village of Nottingham. His chosen horse was a speckled grey and white stallion, and hers a dark chestnut mare. They had to ride together, but avoided really looking at each other. Instead, they focused on the people. Their people if this was to be played right.

The children were too skinny, and the adults all looked haggard with overwork. His – these – people were starving. His expression darkened further as they reached the fields, seeing them almost empty of crops.

Nika frowned, turning to their escort. "Evelyn, why are the fields empty?"

The pale girl sighed, so tiny she was riding a pony. "Taxes mostly, my lady. Our seed was used to pay debts owed to the crown. And some was stolen. We had only a little bit left you see, and we planted it all.

Nika's face fell. "All? This is all? It's not enough." She breathed.

Evelyn nodded. "We know, Lady Marian. There is some stored in the church, seed belonging to the priesthood. But they won't allow us to use any."

Nika frowned. "Not very charitable of them."

Evelyn blushed and shushed her gently. "Please my Lady, keep your voice down. The Sherriff is always listening...he and his spies are always around when you least expect them."

"What can he do to me, all I'm saying is that we're going to starve this winter."

"Just don't speak ill of the church...the Sherriff bought over the priest months ago."

Dayn was distracted as the girls talked, despite the seriousness of the issue. Excalibur – for that was how he thought of his sword now – was warm in his hand. Why was the sword seemingly happy about the plight of the town?

He looked up and around, and amber eyes almost snapped to the main road leading to town. More specifically, to the man coming towards them. Dayn instantly knew that's what the sword was warming for.

He watched as the man came closer, a well built man astride a large horse. His hair was straw colored, and he had a bit of a beard. Eventually, Dayn's curiosity got the best of him and he kicked his horse forward to meet him. The stranger stopped to wait and Dayn reined in his stallion, holding the prancing horse steady.

"I am Robert of Locksley. What is your purpose in Nottingham?" It felt so odd to be introducing himself in such a fashion…

The stranger smiled and bowed in his saddle. "I'm John, coming from Yorkshire. Friends call me Little John. I've come from the King's army seeking work. I know Nottingham has been willing to hire hardworking men in the past."

Dayn resisted the urge to gawk at the legend before him, managing to maintain his cool façade. "It would still do so, if there was any work to be offered."

Little John frowned. "Has the tax plague also struck Nottingham?"

"It has."

In the meantime, Nika was eyeing the little church and making a decision. "I'm going to visit the priest, stay here." She said firmly. Evelyn blanched as she left, eyes wide. Nika didn't care if she was acting too strong willed for a Lady. She was angry.

She dismounted and swept into the church, and the priest looked up. "Get out girl." He said coldly.

Nika's grey eyes grew icy. "Be careful how you address your Lady."

The priest was instantly all smile, bowing low. "Forgive me, Lady Marian. You must forgive me for not recognizing you. We have not seen you for a long time."

"I have been ill, but that is of the past. Would you care to explain why the field are almost bare while you possess such a large amount of planting seed?"

The priest almost scoffed at her, shaking his head. "This seed is bound for the province of Leicester. It does not belong to this land."

"This land belongs to my Lord and I, does it not?"

"Yes my Lady, but-"

"And this church is built on that land, is it not?"

"Lady Marian, please understand-"

"Forgive my interruption Father, but it is you who does not seem to understand. This church is here to serve this land. Just as you are here to serve those living on it. Is it not your duty to ensure that this land thrives?"

"My Lady, you don't-"

"No. I don't." Nika finished flatly, leaving the church without another word. If she stayed a moment longer, she'd end up insulting the man. Not the best thing to do right now…

She calmed herself by petting the nose of her mare, looking up so see Dayn leading a large man over, giving her a slightly weak smile.

"My Lady Marian, this is Little John. He is to be our guest tonight."

Nika quickly dipped into a curtsy, trying to keep from staring at the large man with an even larger reputation. She couldn't believe this was really happening!

"It's wonderful to meet you, Little John." She said graciously. "Please forgive our fair town for being…less fair than usual. We have fallen on hard times." It was almost scary how easy it was to play the role of Lady here…

"Aye, as has most of England." A new voice said to her left. She looked to see a man with an easy smile and flaming red hair that stuck out like a sore thumb in the dreary town. "Will Scarlet, at your service." He said with a bow. "I too came looking for work, but I see there's none to be found. Good to see you again, Little John."

Dayn's hand automatically found Excalibur, taking comfort in its gentle warmth. He opened them again and looked the two men over. Little John's straw colored hair and short beard, dark tanned skin and merry blue eyes… Will Scarlet's red hair and green eyes, his almost sarcastic smile…

He was truly in a time of heroes and legends. And something horribly wrong – in his opinion – was trying to make him one of them. Dayn smiled as best he could.

"Then please, join us, Will Scarlet. We always welcome guests." He turned his horse and started riding ahead.

Nika rolled her eyes as Little John chuckled. He grinned down at Will and winked at Nika. "Bit of a stiff, isn't he?" he asked in a joking tone.

Nika had to giggle. "Stuffy as a Robin Redbreast." She said softly, deciding she liked Walter's description. That and it may explain how Robert became Robin…

She mounted her mare and arranged her skirts, offering the men a smile. "He's right though, we always welcome guests. We will at least have a miniature feast in your honor." She said with a welcoming smile.

Eating supper with little John and Will Scarlet…she could hardly believe this wasn't a crazy dream.

Later than night, Nika glanced over as she slipped off her fancy overdress to see Dayn frowning into the fire, absently running his fingers down his sword's blade. She didn't know why he looked so worried. Little John and Will had been hired as guards for Nottingham. It was a job that suited them well, and kept them nearby.

When he sighed for the fifth time in the last few minutes, she rolled her eyes.

"What's got your panties in a bunch? You've been nothing but stiff and antisocial since we got here." She said in a flat voice. "You need to relax."

Dayn didn't want to fight, instead sighing again and not looking at her. "How can you say to relax? We're playing two heroes in a legend that has so many possible ways to screw up. One slip and we could change history…if it's not already." He said, no bite to his voice. He was too stressed to fight with Nika on top of it all.

Nika snorted in amusement, earning a confused look from the young man by the fire. "Dayn…do you realize how many Robin Hood stories there are? The things we do now won't be written down for generations, long after it's over. There are so many different versions of the story that we could do all sorts of things and still not screw it up. People will change it as they tell it over the next hundred years, and it'll all get changed anyway. Just…don't mention the future or aliens or anything and we'll be fine." She insisted, laying back on her pillows.

Dayn looked at her in surprise, and blinked when Excalibur shot with brief warmth, almost as if it was laughing. He snapped his jaw shut and shook his head in disbelief, but also an incredible relief as he lay on his own pillow.

"Thank you." He finally said, a moment before sleep overcame him.

Nika blinked sleepy eyes in surprise at his words, trying not to growl in annoyance. She shouldn't have said anything…it was funny to laugh with the others at his stiffness behind his back.

Besides, she didn't know what to say to a thank you…not one coming from him. She decided to assume he was asleep and not answer.

She slowly drifted off to sleep, still frustrated with herself, but even moreso at him.

_And we have FINALLY reached the main part of the story! This is the reason this story is in the Robin Hood section, lol._

_Co-written with Kaisaan Greenleaf, through roleplaying, I just fixed it for a story ^^_

_Please review! I'd LOVE to know what people thing, especially now :D_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nika dismounted from her mare, who she'd named Vanya, and entered the church. It had been two days since her last visit, and she was hoping time had sweetened the priest's mood. She needed to win him over or-

What? She stopped short, looking around. The church was full of barrels and crates, and the priest was packing away the tapestries and even the alter cloth!

"What is going on here?" she demanded.

"I am leaving. I have been transferred to the parish in Yorkshire, and I will be taking my belongings with me.

"But you can't just-"

"Aye, he can." A new voice said. Nika looked to see a short, roly poly man with a friendly smile and a stained robe. "Do not worry, my lady, I am your new priest and I will be sure this land does not go uncared for. And my alter cloth is prettier anyway." Nika had to smile at the added whisper.

"And you are?" she asked, though she suspected she knew.

"Friar Tuck, pleased to meet you. You must be Lady Marian. Your stubbornness is traveling by word of mouth to neighboring towns."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing." She admitted as the pair followed the old priest outside, watching as he packed the last of his things onto a cart. When he was done, he turned to bow to her, but Nika just crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"I take my leave of you and this town, fair Lady."

Nika glared. "Good riddance." She said, her voice short. The man glared back, before turning the cart and heading out of town.

"Friar?" she asked, watching the cart leave. Tuck came forward with a questioning glance.

"Yes Lady Marian?"

"Your new church has a fair amount of grain in its storage area… Would you be opposed to it disappearing one night without your knowledge to feed the people?"

"You know m'lady, I don't believe I would be."

Nika's lips curled into a smile. "Excellent."

Dayn rode down from the castle with Thomas, making his daily rounds through town. He chatted with some of the people as they went, who were growing to like their friendly Lord and Lady quite a bit.

He pulled up his stallion, who he'd named Merlin, and looked to the forest. Was there movement there? An animal perhaps?

"Runaways, my lord. Criminals. They were too hungry to stay, so they gave up their protection under the law to feed themselves."

Dayn nodded. It made sense. "Why do they come so near town though?"

Thomas shrugged. "Sometimes they steal from us…but mostly I think they're almost watching over us."

Dayn nodded again, thinking and Thomas stayed quiet. They'd found out that the boy was called Much by his parents…it figured. Yet another legend was already in place. Dayn looked over the fields again, frowning. He still wasn't sure how he was going to feed his people this winter on such a small crop.

He didn't even try and correct his mind anymore when it used the possessive pronoun. He'd slipped easily into the role of a Lord, and was already beginning to think of himself as one.

He turned Merlin to head back into town to see what Nika was up to. He smiled when he spotted her talking to a round man who looked to be a priest. Friar Tuck, it had to be. He pulled the stallion to a stop beside Nika's mare and smiled down at the man.

"Good day, Friar. I hope Marian hasn't been giving you any trouble." He looked at Nika and winked. It could have been for show…or it may not have been. She wouldn't know.

Friar Tuck chuckled. "Only trouble of the best kind." Nika would have retorted, but she was too busy trying to keep the flush from reaching her cheeks. "I do love a good plot."

Nika grinned, under control once more. "Friar Tuck and I were simply discussing a few plans for the village. His new flock requires some tender handling at the moment." She rubbed Vanya's nose, a mischievous smile still on her face.

Dayn shot Nika a look, but after their brief conversation a few night ago, he hadn't felt true worry that their actions might cause damage. Besides that, he trusted Nika. He knew they weren't on good terms, but he'd never stopped trusting her. If she had a plan of some sort, he wouldn't interfere.

The young man smiled when he looked away, catching sight of a disgruntled looking Little John coming over. "My Lord! How am I to guard you if you won't let me know when you're leaving in a cloud of dust?"

Dayn laughed, grinning. "I suppose you'll just have to keep a better eye open, John."

Nika giggled, and heard another laugh on the rooftop above her. She looked to see Will Scarlet lounging on the thatch there, grinning widely.

"I don't have any trouble with my charge, despite how quick she is to take off. You're just too slow, Little John." He teased.

John scowled and Dayn smiled, dismounting and looking up at the man. He only came up to his chest he was so tall.

"You're right, Little John. I'll try and at least warn you in the future, alright?"

The larger man chuckled, shaking his head. "Nay, my Lord. Will is right. I've gotten slower in my old age. I'll just have to get back in the habit of keeping an eye on you young ones."

Will snorted. "He was old when he was my age." He teased. Nika giggled and shot a playful glare up at him.

"Respect your elders, Mister Scarlet." She scolded lightly. The Friar chuckled merrily.

"I do believe I will enjoy being in this town of yours, your Lordship." He said with a bow to Dayn.

Nika slipped from her room later that night, once she was sure Dayn was asleep in his bed by the fire. The embers lit her way to the door, and by now she knew the way to the stables well enough that she didn't need a light.

"Better wear something else, m'lady." She heard when she entered the stables and lit a lamp.

She gasped and jumped, spinning to see who'd spoken. Will was there, steadying her arm so the didn't drop the lamp, smirking in the flickering light.

"What are you doing here?"

"Doing my job. Here, wear these." He said, shoving a pair of black leggings, a loose white shirt, and a form fitting long black tunic into her hands. "You're going to want to be free of those skirts when your planting seed."

"How did you…?"

"I was there when you asked the friar about it, remember? I guessed you'd want to act quickly. Now hurry and change, we have work to do."

She smiled and slipped into an empty stall, changing quickly. She completed the outfit by tying the black scarf around her head, hiding the rainbow parts of her hair and keeping it out of her face.

"Alright, let's go." She whispered when she was done. Soon, their horses were saddled and they were riding down to the village.

The Friar was waiting for them in the church doorway, nightshirt tucked into a pair of worn breeches. He smiled a welcome and they got to work with few words, moving the sacks of seed grain into a cart with well oiled wheels.

It took all night, but the three managed to plant almost all of the fields with grain, and still had some left over. That was pulled back to the church, and Will escorted a yawning Nika back to the castle, waving a goodbye to Tuck as they left.

The sun was just lightening the sky in the east when the red head chuckled and pushed Nika toward the castle. She gave him a sleepy wave and hurried upstairs, slipping into her bed and shivering at the cool sheets.

She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Dayn was suspicious as to why Nika was so tired all the next day, but he didn't ask. She wasn't willing to tell him, and he wasn't about to push her for information. His curiosity grew though when Will was late to show up to their morning sparring, yawning as well.

Still, he didn't ask. He didn't want anyone questioning him, since he was likely to be yawning himself the next day.

The day passed quickly, uneventful for the most part, and Nika went to bed early. It made it all the easier for Dayn to sneak out after dark, finding Little John. They had a job to do.

A small tax shipment was going through town, and they'd stopped for the night in a barn on the edge of town. The opportunity couldn't be passed up.

Thomas popped up at the side of the men just before they left, his wide grin on his ace and green eyes shining. Dayn didn't know how the boy had learned of his plan, but there was nothing for it now but to order the boy to be careful.

The three crept through town on silent feet, shadows masking their passage with ease. Dayn had to chuckle softly when they found the cart they were looking for. Outside of the barn where the soldiers were sleeping. They'd set a watch, but he'd fallen asleep with a bottle of ale against the side of the wooden building.

Sacks of coins were tied to the pommels of their saddles, the gentle clinking not waking the inebriated guard or even making him stir. When they had enough, they replaced the sacks with different sacks of soil. If their plan worked, no one would know some of the gold was missing until it reached its destination in London.

They rode to the church where a sleepy Friar awaited them. He showed them the store room, and they hid the gold in a back room which appeared full of honey mead. A back corner was empty and hidden though, a perfect hiding place.

They thanked him and left, heading back up to the castle with wide smiles, Dayn's the largest.

Now…now he really felt like the man who would be Robin Hood.

Time passed slowly in the relatively peaceful village. Dayn soon realized what it was Nika had done when the fields grew a fuzzy layer of plants almost overnight. The village rejoiced in the miracle, and no one bothered to check the church's grain storage. Everyone was looking forward to a decent harvest though, and hope was renewed.

Dayn, Little John and Thomas had been joined by Will on their occasional nightly excursions, stealing sacks of gold from the tax shipments going through town. They had quite a bit stored up, and no one had figured out that Nottingham was paying its taxes with taxes that they had already paid.

The people of Nottingham had come to love and trust he and Nika as their Lord and Lady, something he knew would be useful. They'd gotten to know almost everyone by name, and were welcomed as friends whenever they passed through town.

Nika and Dayn had gotten better with each other by now as well. Though there was still large amounts of dislike between the two, they'd simply started to ignore it. They worked together as partners, and could usually pull off a friendly relationship when they were around people. Dayn quite enjoyed pretending to flirt, though Nika didn't need to know such a thing. It was only in the evenings before bed they tended to get snippy with each other, and things really got awkward.

Despite it all, Dayn was frustrated. For he and Nika had met the Sherriff.

The Sherriff of Nottingham was a dark haired man with eyes to match, and pale skin that defied sunlight. He tended to dress all in blacks and blues, and Nika was fond of calling him a walking bruise behind his back. He was cruel to the people and enoyed making large fusses of small matters, always looking for an excuse to dish out punishment.

He was a dark man with a black heart, and he had eyes for Nika.

Just thinking about it made Dayn's blood boil, most unfortunately for Will, who he was sparring with at the moment. The Sherriff often made off color comments about Nika, but when she was present did nothing but flatter her and offer her gifts. She turned him down every time, and didn't seem to have even noticed the true meaning behind his actions.

Just yesterday, the man had actually suggested that "Lady Marian" come to his home for a feast and evening entertainment. Dayn growled low in his throat, slicing at Will's neck in his anger.

The man blocked, but was tiring without Dayn noticing a thing. The young man wasn't even aware Will had called for a halt until he felt Little John grab his wrists from behind, keeping himself safe from Dayn's sword. He struggled for a moment, but the soothing warmth of the sword assured him that this wasn't an enemy and he relaxed.

The large man released him with a frown. "Lord Robert, you seem more angry today than yesterday."

Dayn ran a hand through messy black hair and sighed, catching his breath. "I know. Sorry Will."

Will waved a hand, though his eyes held a spark of nervousness. "Don't worry, your Lordship. I can hold my own. Thankfully."

Nika circled the village, calling hello to people as they waved at her. Many of the men were at work in the field, whistling as they tilled the earth around the young plants. She smiled and her grey eyes sparkled. She loved seeing her people happy. The field were flourishing, something she, the Friar and Will still chuckled softly over from time to time.

Without Dayn's knowledge, she was still sneaking out some nights to cause trouble. The outfit Will had given her had been improved, a black cloth covering her head and face to hide her identity. A large black cloak prevented people from being able to determine her sex as she moved in the dark. Wagons preparing for trips to carry taxes to London found their wheels broken, horses were cut free, and food from visiting soldiers was stolen and carried to the forests.

There, she'd made friend with the runaway boys, who she'd affectionately started calling the Lost Boys from the story of Peter Pan. She often visited to make sure they had enough food and brought medicines and things they needed. In exchange for her help, they'd stopped stealing from the village.

The leader of the group was a young man who called himself Drake. His real name was David of Doncastor, yet another Robin Hood character if a minor one, and he'd grown on Nika quite a bit. He was the only one of the boys who knew her true identity, having pulled her scarf off the first night she'd appeared. Since then he'd grown a grudging respect for her, which she returned.

She looked around the village, marveling how much lovelier it appeared now that she'd been here for a while. It no longer appeared gloomy, but hopeful. Picturesque in a provincial way.

She spotted a wagon with a tax shipment being prepared on one side of the street and smiled. It looked like she'd be sneaking out tonight…

She rode into the castle courtyard and frowned, seeing the varied expressions of the three men who'd been sparring there.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, dismounting and leading Vanya over to them.

"Perfectly, Lady Marian, nothing to worry about." Will said, giving her a winning smile and allowing Dayn a spare moment to compose himself.

Dayn took a deep breath to calm his racing heart. He gave Will a grateful look and John a smile when the large man clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Lord Robert was just smacking Will upside the head, showing him how old and stiff he is, that's all." He teased, giving Dayn a wink.

Dayn laughed, the sound draining him of tension for a time.

Nika giggled herself, petting Vanya's nose as the mare's large head appeared over her shoulder. "I'm not surprised. You know the villagers are calling him Lord Robin now?" she said with a grin. "You'd better practice, Mr. Scarlet. Age and experience defeats youth."

"Aye, and you'd know, wouldn't you Lady?" the redhead teased with a wide grin.

Dayn shook his head. He knew what the people were calling him and honestly, it amused him. The Robin Hood legend seemed to be coming alive before his eyes, and while it was exciting, it sometimes terrified him. They were living history. They were really Robin Hood and Maid Marian. This wasn't a story being revised, it was how history had really happened.

He pushed aside his thoughts and ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up even further. "Come on, my father will expect us to dine with him soon." He said, heading to the castle.

Nika smiled and nodded to the other men before she left as well. She felt a bubble of accomplishment when they only nodded back. It had taken ages to get them to stop bowing all the time. She followed Dayn inside after stabling her horse, and went directly to the dining room. Walter – nor anyone else – would care if she smelled of horse. That was one thing she didn't like about this time, people didn't bathe nearly often enough for her tastes.

"Ah my younglings." Walter said by way of greeting, smiling as they took their seats. "I hope your hungry, Cora made us some lovely roast venison."

"Venison? I thought all the deer were property of the Crown?" she asked in confusion.

"They are while alive. This beast was left on our doorstep last night."

Dayn avoided Nika's gaze. "I suppose we should enjoy it then, shouldn't we?" He quickly grabbed a roll and took a bite to avoid having to speak. It was he who had shot the deer. He'd discovered, almost by accident, that his skill with weapons seemed to include the bow. He hadn't been able to resist trying it out the night before.

Nika hid a smile, and though Dayn didn't look her in the eye – or perhaps because of it – she knew it must have been him. Even Walter was quiet, too busy enjoying the food to talk.

When she finished, Nika gave a wide yawn of feigned tiredness and stood. "I grow weary, it has been a long day. Goodnight Walter, my Lord Robert." She said, turning and heading to their bedroom.

Dayn looked after her and gave the first excuse that came to mind. "If you will excuse me Father, I would like to tend to my wife." He left the dining hall on quiet feet and went up to the room.

The young man leaned in the doorway for a moment, watching as Nika stripped down to her shirt and crawl into bed. His own words played in his mind… They'd been so easy to say and he found himself wishing for a brief moment of weakness that they were true.

Though that may have been because of the way the firelight seemed to dance across the slightly tanned skin of Nika's shoulders.

He pushed himself from the wall and went to his bed. He may get a chance to doze before he left. He wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

Nika smiled when Dayn's breathing slowed and steadied, and slipped back out of bed. She tiptoed past the lump he made before the fireplace and slid through the door, moving quickly and silently down to the stables. She grabbed her hidden outfit and changed in a stall.

People had started to call her the Shadow Thief, but only in whispers. It amused Nika to no end. She silently saddled Vanya and wrapped her hooves in burlap. The mare stayed quiet, used to this routine by now.

Soon, the two were slipping from the courtyard, blending perfectly with the shadows as they made their way into town.

She went straight to the Sherriff's, seeing the wagon being loaded with tax shipments from around the area. She hid Vanya with ease and snuck nearer, waiting until the soldiers went inside to make her move.

She darted back and forth, carrying the bags of food away with practiced ease and tying them to Vanya's saddle. The soldiers never noticed that they were gone, too busy worrying over the gold. They'd started traveling at night thanks to the recent thefts in the area, but they still never got far. Nika suspected Dayn was behind that.

Once she'd gotten all the food, Nika decided it was safer not to do anything else. There were too many on watch tonight. The food would be enough. She swung into the saddle and made her way to the forest, intent on getting the food to her Lost Boys. They'd decide how much they needed, and leave the rest on the doorsteps of families who needed food over the next few days.

Dayn woke himself with practice, and left the dark room right off, having slept in his clothing. The young man moved about the manor with ease, knowing his...yes, his home. Dayn roused Will and John and they moved quietly, already knowing the plan and the routine. Little John went to go get Much as Dayn and Will headed off to get the horses.

Dayn led the way out of the stables, Little John, Will and Much following on their dark colored horses. Dayn's stallion was the only one that stood out, almost glowing in the night with his hide of grey and white. The group headed straight to Sherwood forest, knowing the tax shipment would have to pass though it. It was the perfect place for an ambush.

They reached a fine spot soon after, right after a bend in the road. They hid the horses in the forest and took their favored hiding places. Dayn and Thomas preferred to start in the trees over the road, while Little John and Will found bushes to hide behind while they waited.

Dayn settled onto his chosen branch, bow knocked but not yet drawn, his ears listening for the telltale sounds of anyone approaching. He was excited and nervous, as he always was. He knew the feelings would leave as soon as the first wagon appeared. It always did, as his mind seemed to sharpen, his hearing and vision seeming to focus better with the aid of the sword hooked to his belt.

He looked down ate road as the first sounds of horses came floating to them and Dayn grinned. Now the fun would start.

Nika dropped the last bag of food in the roughly built storage hut, looking around warily. Drake seemed more nervous than usual tonight.

"What is it?"

"Others. Other people. Here."

"Who? Where?"

"I'm not really supposed to tell anyone…but they always come on the days wagons pass through."

Nika smiled behind the sash across her nose and mouth. "Show me."

Drake grinned, more than happy to lead his Lady through the trees.

Dayn fired the first arrow without mercy. His first kill had been hard. He'd thrown up afterwards and been off his food all the next day. Little John had helped him get past it. And while he couldn't say he enjoyed it, it didn't bother him as it once had.

Now he took the soldier's life without hesitation and knocked a second arrow, jumping to the ground on light feet as chaos erupted in the wagon line. Dayn knew Will and John had shot a guard each.

"Good evening gentlemen. My name is Robin Hood. We'll be taking your cargo or your lives. Or both. Your choice." He said with a cheeky grin. He sighed in mock disappointment as the soldiers shouted and charged.

He moved like lightning, his arrow loosening to hit the closest man and knocking him off his horse. Excalibur came out with a hiss of approval to start swinging at the rest.

Nika heard shouting and started running faster, Drake seeming to agree. The two of them moved silently through the dark forest, aiming toward the chaos they could hear.

She stopped short, hiding behind a tree to watch. She recognized Little John, unmistakable from his size, and Will thanks to his red hair. The smaller boy in the wagon itself must be Much, and the last man… Nika grinned. She could tell it was Dayn even in the dark, he moved the same way.

So it had been him stealing the gold after all.

Dayn slowed and finally stilled, blood staining his hands and Excalibur. The sword cooled in his hands now that the fight was over. He looked around, cleaning the blade off with the help of the pants of a dead soldier, and walked to the first wagon. His dark amber eyes glittered in the dark.

"How much?" he asked little John and Much. The large man grinned. "More than enough Robin."

Dayn smiled. "Good, let's get it back to where it belongs."

Nika grinned again behind her mask and slipped from the trees, nodding to the others. She didn't say a word, simply gesturing to the bags in a silent offer to help.

Drake, who'd followed, grinned. "Hey Robin, care for a hand? You even have the Shadow Thief offering."

Dayn's head snapped up, but Excalibur was only warm, so he didn't act. He smiled at Drake, having met him a few times before. He sometimes took gold to the boys, to make sure they had enough for clothes and weapons.

The slight man in black he didn't know, but Dayn grinned and bowed, playing the part. "I thank you then, good sir, for we have much ground to cover tonight."

Nika nodded and moved to help pick up the spilled gold. She helped them to get the bags back to town, and was surprised when they went to the church. The Friar was there, leading them to the storage rooms. She had to grin though, there was no better place to hide the gold. No one would search a church for stolen goods.

When they were done, Dayn smiled and clapped Tuck on the shoulder. "Thank you Friar. Your help, as ever, is appreciated." He said sincerely.

Little John cleared his throat. "Robin, sun's coming up." He said. Dayn looked at Much, telling him to get home and that he had the day off. As he did so, the Friar looked at the smaller man in black, smiling when he recognized grey eyes. Nika grinned, winking silently.

Little John and Will left too, and Dayn turned to the Shadow Thief and Drake. "Thank you both." He said with a nod.

Nika nodded back, keeping her eyes lowered. If the Friar recognized them, Dayn certainly would. She melted into the shadows before getting Vanya to head back and sneak into bed.

Drake chuckled. "He's not really one for words. Night Robin, it's been fun." The boy said with a merry salute before he too took off.

Dayn made his way back up to the castle, exhaustion finally hitting him as he stripped off bloody and dirty clothes, glancing over to see Nika asleep in the bed. He pulled on a pair of breeches before collapsing onto his bed on the floor. He feel asleep without covering as the first light of dawn crept into the room.

_Gah! I wanna post the next chapter! I feel like this one is more a filler than anything :( Or maybe that's cuz I know where this is all going :D Still, i'll make you wait, muahahaha!_

_Written with Kaisaan Greenleaf as a roleplay originally!_

_PLEASE REVIEW! I dunno if i'm doing any good of people don't tell me!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Nika was woken much too soon the next morning to a crashing noise. She sat up in confusion and saw soldiers in the doorway to the bedroom. She gasped angrily and pulled a sheet up to cover her chest, glaring fiercely.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

The men ignored her – much to her annoyance – and grabbed Dayn – much to her sudden fear – and dragged him to the door.

Dayn had woken with the crash but his foggy mind hadn't figured out what was happening until he was grabbed. Panic hit and he struggled in their grasp as he was dragged down the stairs. He felt an incredible worry for Nika and a stab of loss so keen it hurt. Excalibur, the sword was still upstairs.

He was dragged before a familiar face and amber eyes darkened with hate, teeth baring. "Sheriff! What is the meaning of this?"

Nika grabbed a shawl and threw it around her shoulders as she dashed down the stairs. She didn't care if she was indecent in her thin, sleeveless gown; they were taking her hus- Dayn. They were taking Dayn.

She stopped short at the sight of the sheriff, almost wincing at the sight of the wounded man at his side.

"That's him, sir. The one who led the attack last night." The man said with a nod.

Nika scoffed. "Impossible. Robert couldn't have left without me knowing."

"He was sleeping on the floor." One of the soldiers pointed out in a flat voice.

"He was bad yesterday." Nika retorted without effort.

Dayn would have burst out laughing or glared at the girl if the situation hadn't been so serious. As it was, he gained a look of outrage.

"Attacked? What nonsense are you spouting? Barging into a man's house, his bedchamber! And charging him with lies! What proof have you?"

The Sheriff sent him a cruel grin. "This man was one of the guards for the tax shipment that was attacked last night. He says it was you, and that there were others. They called you Robin. Is it not you whom the people of this village call Lord Robin in jest?"

Nika strode forward with a death glare. "That's not proof. We all know you dislike my Lord, you're just looking for an excuse to act on your feelings."

"And the excuse had fallen into my lap." Was the sickly sweet reply. He turned to his men. "Find the others. The men they call Little John and Will Scarlet. And the boy as well. They will all hang for this offence!"

As the guards followed their orders, Nika clutched her shawl to her chest, heart pounding frantically.

"Hang? They deserve a fair trial at least, a chance to prove their innocence!" she exclaimed, grey eyes fearful.

"Trials are for a time of peace and prosperity, my Lady. This is not one of them." He looked her over with a smile, eyes glittering darkly. "You will soon be a widow. You're lucky you're still young, you may catch another husband."

Dayn's blood boiled at the things the man was saying, but he suddenly knew this couldn't be stopped. This was history. He made a show at struggling, but his amber eyes sought out Nika's grey. His heart seized at the fear there, but he sent her a wordless message. _Don't do anything. Yet._

He seethed as little John, Will and Much were brought into the hall, charged with the same things, but he didn't struggle as they were led downstairs to the dungeons and left there.

Only when the guards had gone back up the stairs did he swear, slamming a fist against the brick wall. Now he was helpless, it was up to Nika.

Nika watched as they were taken away, still unsure what was happening in the stress of the moment. She fled upstairs away from the Sheriff's eyes, dressing quickly. She was trembling so much it took three tries to tie the scarf around her head properly.

She made herself take a deep breath and calm down. Dayn seemed to know what was happening, she just needed to get to him to talk. She was grateful the Sheriff was using the castle dungeons to hold them rather than his own shack of a prison. He was worried they'd escape, but he'd made things easier on her. All she had to worry about were the guards he'd left…

She played her part well over the next hour, a wife who was both scared and angry. It was easy, since that was how she really felt. Eventually, she offered to take the men their lunch.

"He's my husband, I _will_ see him." She said firmly. Grey eyes sparked with anger and the guards didn't dare argue, and let her pass. She carried the tray downstairs, looking around in the dark. She'd never been down here…

"Robert?" she called softly, barely remembering not to call him Dayn.

Dayn was moving the moment he heard Nika's voice, not caring what name she was calling. "Over here, Marian." Little John came to the bars as well, Much ducking under his arm to stand in front of the large man.

Dayn felt both a surge of relief and fear when he caught sight of Nika in the shadowy hall. He knew he'd have to leave her and it scared him. "Are you alright?"

Nika hurried over, not hiding the fear in her eyes. It was more real than she liked… "I'm fine." She said softly, handing over bowls of food to the men on the other side of the bars. The last went to Will who jerked his head, prompting John and Much to follow him to the back of the cell, giving Nika and Dayn what privacy they could.

Nika didn't know why she let herself do such a thing, but her hand came forward and rested over Dayn's which gripped an iron bar.

"The Sheriff left, but he has guards here still. Dayn…what do we do?"

Dayn reacted in much the same way, resting his other hand over hers. "Nika…you have to break us out. We have to leave." He gave her a wry smile. "I have to become Robin Hood."

Nika blinked. "You mean…now? We're going? Maybe I should tell Walter."

He shook his head, silencing her before she could say anything more. "Get Excalibur. I know this sounds crazy, and we never agreed about it, but it is Excalibur. And Nika, it can easily cut through the bars and lock on the door."

"It'd be better if we go through the window. The guards are watching the only way down here." She said softly. "You'll have to wait a while though, I can't go and come back right away, they'll suspect something. It'll be better if we leave in the dark anyway."

Dayn sighed and squeezed her fingers, hating having to do this. Someone had to stay and watch out for the people they'd come to care for as their own. Amber eyes slowly met grey, both sad and hard. "You're not coming Nika, not yet. Someone has to stay." He whispered.

He looked at the window. "We have to go into Sherwood forest, but we need someone on the inside."

Nika pulled her out from under his, shaking her head angrily. "No. No, Dayn, you are not leaving me here by myself!" she exclaimed in a whisper, hoping he couldn't see the very real fear in her eyes. "I…I can't do this alone. And the Sheriff he…" she shivered. "He looks at me like a piece of meat. Who knows what he'll try with you not here?"

"You think I haven't thought of that? Do you think it doesn't make me sick just thinking about it?" Dayn snapped, his own eyes scared and angry. He took a shaky breath, focusing on staying quiet. "Nika, you're the strongest person I know. If anyone can do this, you can."

He reached through the bars and grabbed her hand again, trying to smile. "Just think about how much you hate me and use that anger to keep yourself strong."

Nika looked down at his large hand holding her smaller one, sighing as she realized something.

"I never hated you Dayn." She whispered. "I'll come back when I can."

She fled, unsure she could face him anymore. Not when he was being so…reasonable. She wanted nothing more than to hug him and hide her face in his collarbone…something she didn't think she should be feeling for someone she claimed to not even like.

Dayn watched her leave and felt a new type of pain enter his heart. He didn't want to leave her. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be alright. He wanted to protect her…and always had. The feeling had just been dormant for a time.

He joined the others soon after, sitting down and slowly eating his lunch. Now all they could do was wait and pray.

Nika did her best to stay busy all day, but everyone could see the tightness of her shoulders and the dullness in her normally vibrant grey eyes. She had a quick chat with Cora about the plan forming in her mind and retired early.

The castle quieted quickly as the sun went down. No one had bother even lighting the fireplace in the main hall, seeing as no one wanted to eat there without Dayn. Walter had eaten supper in his rooms, and Nika had taken hers in the kitchens.

Instead of going to bed though, Nika changed into her black leggings and one of Dayn's dark shirts. Her own was down in the stable… She picked up Excalibur from where it lay beside Dayn's makeshift bed, and hugged it to her chest.

It was time.

She slipped from the room and reached the hall, moving unnoticed through the shadows with the ease of long practice.. She saw Cora hiding in the doorway to the kitchens and the woman nodded, coming out with a tray of drinks for the guards. Nika took the given moment to slip through the door, moving silently down the stairs on her now well worn boots.

She tiptoed down the dark hallway and heard angry muttering in the cell at the end.

"Lady Marian will come, Robin. She's a smart woman, your wife."

"I know." Came Dayn's strained voice, and she heard a thunk which must have been his head against a bar.

Nika hurried forward, unseen until she stepped into the light from the window. She held out the sword, still in its sheath.

"You'd better hurry. I still have to sneak back past the guards somehow." She whispered with a wry smile that only trembled a little. "I didn't plan that far ahead."

As the men in the cell prepared to leave, Dayn reached for the sword. He found her hand instead.

"Be careful. And come get me sometime." She whispered, eyes holding his. "Promise me."

It was a gamble. The last promise he'd made, he'd broken, shattering her heart into pieces in the process.

Dayn gripped her fingers tightly, everything in him wanting not to let go, to bring her with him now. His eyes met her own, filled with promise, fear and seriousness that hadn't been present with the long ago promise at graduation. It hadn't seemed necessary back then…

"I promise I will be careful." Dayn pulled her closer to the bars so their faces were mere inches from each other. "And I promise I'll come back for you Nika." A crooked smile appeared on his features. "See you on the flip side."

Nika was sure he'd hear her heart pounding, and when he released her she had to grip the bars to keep herself on her feet. She watched as he unsheathed the sword with a hiss, smiling weakly at Little John's confusion before Dayn sliced the bars in the window, first at the bottom and then the top. The metal parted like butter, and the bars clattered to the stone floor.

"Let's go." Dayn ordered the still shocked men, and they hurried to climb out the window. Nika took a shaky breath and slid to the floor, resting her forehead against the cool bars.

He'd really left. She'd known it was coming, but now that it had happened it felt a dozen times worse than she'd expected it to. She heard calling up the stairs and hauled herself to her feet, shrinking into the shadows. The guards had heard the bars falling.

They came to see what had happened but was barely able to crack a smile as they exclaimed in surprise at the empty cell. As they unlocked it and went to inspect the window, she snuck back upstairs to their – her room.

She knew she wouldn't sleep well tonight… She gave into the desire she didn't even know she had, and slept in Dayn's shirt. It wasn't as comforting as his deep breathing on the floor, but it was better than nothing.

Dayn and the others made it to the forest and knew they were safe. There was no way the soldiers could find them in Sherwood. He looked through the trees back towards the manor, fighting the urge to go back. Little John leaned over from his horse - they'd acquired them and weapons easily – and rested a hand on his shoulder in sympathy.

"Come, Lord Robert. They'll be searching soon."

The young man nodded and they rode deeper into the forest. Once they'd found what they judged to be a safe distance away, they started setting up camp. Dayn dismounted and leaned against Merlin with a heavy heart.

"You can't go around calling me Lord anymore."

Much looked up, blinking. "Then what should we call you?"

Dayn wanted to smile, but as he looked back the way they'd come, his lips couldn't achieve the expression. "Robin Hood. Call me Robin Hood."

Nika tossed and turned all night, hardly sleeping at all. She finally gave up the idea of getting any and rose at dawn. She dressed slowly, and wrapped her scarf around her head as usual. She slipped downstairs for a light breakfast in the kitchens once more, trying to be the strong person she was supposed to be.

It wasn't easy.

The castle felt empty without Dayn here. Normally he would have risen before her, and would be chatting and joking with Walter in the dining hall by the time she appeared. They'd eat breakfast together before heading off in their own directions to do whatever they deemed necessary at the time. But they'd see each other again at lunch, and again at supper. And they were guaranteed to be in each other's company when they went to bed.

Nika was surprised how much she'd grown to rely on their routine. It wasn't easy to not have him around, she felt like everything was messed up.

She took Walter his breakfast, who wasn't strong enough to leave his bed today. She talked with him for a time, explaining everything that had happened and opening his windows to get him some fresh air. He was too tired to talk for long though and she left again when he started nodding off.

She headed down to the village to visit with the people there. She ended an argument, helped a family to catch their chickens, and spent some time with the blacksmith, handing him tools. She was suddenly glad she'd gained such a relationship with everyone here. They were like an extended family. She looked out for them, and they looked out for her.

The day wore on slowly, and she spent most of it with people. She got to hear gossip and settle rumors about what had happened with Dayn, but it was also a measure of protection.

The Sheriff was in the worst mood she'd ever seen, and he often stormed through the village, trying to take his anger out on the townspeople. Nika stopped him time and time again, much to his annoyance.

She was sure to stay within sight of people the rest of the day, she didn't want him to catch her alone. Not when he was in such a reckless mood.

In the evening, people started to head inside to their suppers. She didn't want to go up to the castle, not yet. Instead she made her way to the tiny church. She sank into a pew in the back as the Friar spoke with someone else. She looked at the gold cross on the alter and sighed.

"If you're listening…I could really use some help." She whispered as she waited.

The Friar finished with his guest and went to sit by the young woman. She was dressed nicely, but the cloth seemed to sag on her thin shoulders, and her raven hair, tied back with the usual scarf, seemed limp.

"You look upset Lady."

"They arrested Robert. He had to leave."

"He escaped?"

"Yes…but it won't be safe for him to come back here. The Sheriff is requesting that Prince John send more men to catch him. The town will be watched at all hours."

Dayn couldn't come, she couldn't go…it was a nightmare. She sighed and stood. "I should get up to the manor." She said regretfully, not wanting to leave the comforting little church.

"Be careful Marian." Tuck said as he stood, calling her by her "name" for the first time. "And remember that you can always come here if you need to. You will be safe in this place. At least more so than up at the castle."

Nika gave him a weak smile. "Thank you, Friar."

Then she was gone, on her way up to the castle for a small supper. She was exhausted after her lonely, busy day. And she knew she had to do it all over again tomorrow.

Dayn's first day of freedom was an odd one. He felt loose and free, and not in a good way. Right now, he should be sparring in the courtyard, or visiting with the villagers. He felt he should be doing something, not just sitting around.

He stood abruptly and left the campfire with a muttered excuse he already didn't remember making. Thankfully no one came after him, sensing he needed to be alone.

He walked for ages, unsure where he was going, and eventually just stopped and leaned against a tree. He looked through the leaves at the clouds in the sky, hoping Nika was alright. He was already worried for her. He wasn't there to look out for her, and she was terrible at looking after herself. And she had a bad habit of getting into trouble when he wasn't nearby.

Had he been wrong to leave her alone? To tell her that she didn't need his help?

He shook his head. No… he'd been telling the truth when he told her she was strong. She was probably doing her job right now and getting along fine. He should really be doing his. He needed a plan for how he and his men would survive their time in this forest…

He blinked when one of the runaway boys jumped down from a tree branch directly in front of him. The kid lifted his mask to reveal a familiar smirk. Drake. Dayn wasn't really startled by his sudden appearance. Drake had popped up without notice one too many times for that reaction.

"What are ye doin' out here Robin?" the boy asked jovially. "Never seen you out 'ere two days in a row before."

"Fleeing the hangman's noose, Drake." He said, running a hand through his messy black hair. "A man escaped from that shipment we attacked last night, we were all arrested. Marian helped us escape, but we can't go back."

"You left Marian there? Do you want us to keep an eye on her?" Drake asked. Dayn smiled and nodded.

"Thank you Drake. I'm afraid I can't look after her myself." Even if he'd said no, he knew Drake would have sent someone anyway. Dayn was only grateful.

Drake nodded slowly. "And the Shadow Thief? They don't who it is, do they?"

"No…" Dayn said slowly. "Why, do you?"

"'Course I do." The boy said with a cheeky grin. "But I ain't tellin' you."

"Of course not."

Drake looked at him, almost as if he measuring him up. He finally nodded, having come to a decision. "Do you want to come live wif us? We 'ave a camp already and stuff. You and your men can stay there. It's secret and hidden."

Dayn smiled slightly for the first time all day. "That would be wonderful. The men will be glad of a place to stay, and so will I. I'll go get them now." He turned and walked back to the temporary camp, knowing Drake would follow or leave as he chose. The boy disappeared, and Dayn shook his head in amusement. The others took the news well and soon they were all packed up and making their way to the Runaway's camp.

When they arrived, Dayn was amused to see they'd cleaned it up a bit. He'd seen it at its worst after all. He also saw Drake talking to one of the older boys, who was nodding and removing his mask. He took off toward the village, now indistinguishable from the other hungry kids in Nottingham. That must be "Lady Marian's" new guard.

Dayn was shown a tiny hut, which he entered with a smile. It was small and leaky, but the boys seemed proud of it.

Several Robin Hood movies passed through his mind and Dayn smiled to himself. They had some work to do.

He exited the hut to find an audience of young men, all eager to hear what had happened to make him leave Nottingham. He told the story, with a bit more graphic detail for their young minds, chuckling at their awe. He was a Lord who'd given everything up to fight back. He was an instant hero to many of the younger boys and quite a few of the older ones.

To his surprise, Drake was more than willing to step back and let "Robin Hood" be the leader of their group. As long as he was second in command of course.

Dayn agreed and they shook on it, and immediately they got to work on plans for huts in the trees above them as well as sturdier ones on the ground.

They had a lot of work to do, but they'd best get to it.

Dayn firmly told himself that Nika had nothing to do with his desire to stay busy, but her hut was the first one he planned out. She'd join them eventually, and he wanted her to have a good place to stay.

Will teased him mercilessly when he told him of his plan, reminding him that he and Nika would, in fact, have the same hut. They were married after all.

Dayn hid his blush and agreed, scrambling for an excuse. Whatever he came up with must have satisfied the redhead, because he went to get to work.

The young man sighed in faint amusement. How would he get two beds into the hut without anyone wondering what they needed two for?

_Updating two days in a row, aren't you all lucky? You can thank Kaisaan, she begged me to. Thank her for the story while you're at it, seeing as the plot is half hers :P_

_I do like this chapter though, so much drama, fun fun stuff :D_

_Please reeeeeeeeeeeeeeview!_

_Your Humble (and slightly hyper) Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Nika's second day without Dayn was as difficult as the first. Except worse… Her mind had finally come to terms with what had happened, and now she had to deal with it. And the Sheriff had come to the same conclusion.

She was doing her round of the town when a black gloved hand snapped out and pulled her between the thin space between his house and office. Nike gasped and struggled and looked up, glaring at the man who just stood there with a rather smug smile.

"You seem to have been avoiding me, Lady Marian." He said, voice smooth as butter.

"Yes, I have." she said shortly.

He only smiled down at her. They were practically pressed chest to chest the walls were so close. Nika pressed against her wall even harder in an effort to get some distance.

"And why is that? Your husband is gone. He abandoned you, you know."

"No, he didn't." She snapped. Her stress of the past day finally catching up with her. "He didn't want to leave, but he had no choice. Alive he is still my husband, no matter how far away he is."

The man finally glared, his smile fading. "He's gone, Marian. Long gone. You will never see him again. If he dares to show his face here, he'll be killed." The smile came back. "And you know it, how lovely."

Nika shivered, doing the best to keep the worry from her eyes as she glared at him. "You are to refer to me as _Lady_ Marian." She said in a low voice. "I'd have to like you to allow you to drop the title."

He only smiled that horrid smile. "Of course, Lady Marian. I will have you for my own, I assure you. And then you can dislike me all you want. You will still be mine."

He was leaning forward, expecting a kiss, when a boy suddenly charged down the alley and slammed into his side. "Sorry sir!" he exclaimed, "accidently" standing to elbow him between his legs. As the Sheriff cried out in pain and anger, both the boy and Nika took the opportunity to escape.

"Careful Lady. He's a right nasty piece of work."

She smiled. "Thank you. Better hide yourself so he doesn't catch you." As he scampered off, she made her way to the church. She was sure the Friar would be there to talk to…a welcome distraction from her turmoil.

A month passed, and neither Nika or Dayn ever saw each other, even from a distance. Dayn was growing more restless as time passed, and he found himself snapping at men and boys for no reason and having to apologize.

They'd been busy. They stole tax shipments and got the gold to families in towns around the area. They hunted the illegal deer as well, making sure the people had enough food. They helped any man who came to them for help, gaining followers and building up the camp. Their little village in the forest had grown to include a second layer of huts in the treetops, all sturdily built and well hidden from the forest floor.

But no matter how busy he stayed, it didn't help with the sadness he felt. And try as he might to deny it, Nika was at the center of his negative emotions. He missed her. Missed having someone to truly talk to, having someone call him by his real name… he responded so readily to Robin he feared he may not answer to his own.

Now, he approached the camp, a deer over his shoulder. It was taken by one of the older boys, who quickly skinned it, as another prepared the fire for cooking the beast. Dinner was a boisterous affair, as it always was. It was never anything else with a bunch of men being the camp's only inhabitants. A female touch would do wonders here, Dayn knew. Now, he wanted nothing more than to escape and go to bed.

When the time came to do so however, he found himself unable to sleep. He lay down on one of the platforms in the treetops, watching the stars instead. Little John came to check on him, sighing in worry for his young friend.

"Robin, you need to sleep."

The young man nodded, but his eyes didn't leave the glittering specs in the sky. "I miss her."

The large man chuckled. "Of course you do. She's your wife, Rob. It's to be expected."

Dayn sighed but didn't say anything more. Little John didn't understand. He didn't know that Dayn was truly beginning to wish that he and Nika were married. That she was his…

Nika scrubbed dirty clothing with a few of the women in the village, sighing softly. Her people had come to accept the fact that Lady or not, she was still a real person with real work to do. And she wasn't about to leave all that work to servants. She was sure she'd gained a good deal of respect from the village women over the past few weeks, and even some of the men. She still had to smile at the look on the men's faces when she'd turned up to help mend a fence the other day.

After a month of this, she was tired. More tired than she could ever remember being. Dayn was off in the woods, free to be himself. She was stuck in the role of a lady, and she didn't have a bunch of men around to help her get by. She felt trapped in this horrible charade.

The Sheriff had been getting worse and worse with time, more forward with his actions. He couldn't do anything when she was with other people, so he'd taken to visiting the castle when she wasn't busy to try and get her alone. Nika had fixed that by always staying busy. It was tiring, but worth it. When she was exhausted, it was easy to fall asleep at night and stay asleep.

Her life as the Shadow Thief had slowed to a near halt. There were so many soldiers around that it was difficult for her to cause much mischief. She still occasionally managed though. Soldiers often found their rations soiled, their horses escaped, their alcohol spilled or disappeared entirely. It wasn't much, but it was enough to discourage them. It wasn't terribly helpful, but she couldn't stand not doing anything. Not when Dayn and his men were attacking every wagon to go through the forest.

She looked up from her work to see that a few soldiers were preparing a shipment for the next morning. Perfect…they'd have a hard time doing so without any horses.

She bid farewell to the ladies at the well, and carried her clean laundry up to the castle. She'd strung a clothesline right across the main hall, seeing as it wasn't being used for anything else. And it meant dust from the street wouldn't soil her newly cleaned clothes.

She stayed busy until nightfall and made her way to bed as usual, where she changed into her dark Shadow Thief outfit. She had no reason to keep it in the stable anymore, not with Dayn gone.

She waited until she knew the village had gone to sleep before slipping from the castle and making her way on foot to the soldier's barracks. It had been built soon after Dayn had left, to house the soldiers that had been sent to guard the town. They were always patrolling the village, but it also meant Nika knew exactly where to go to cause trouble.

She pulled out a dagger and started cutting the horses free, making sure they ran off into the night before moving onto the next. Hopefully some would find their way to the forest where Dayn could use them.

She didn't hear the guard coming up behind her until she was grabbed and dragged, struggling, into the guardhouse. She listened, silent as the men discussed what to do with her. They decided they couldn't unmask her, not without the Sheriff. He'd be thrilled they'd caught the elusive trouble maker. Not as good as catching Robin Hood, but close enough. Enough to get rid of his bad mood for a while at least… Nika was terrified. He'd unmask her, and then what? What would he be willing to do in punishment?

She was tied to a post on one side of the guard's room to wait for the man to arrive. He was apparently quite eager to know who she was, for he appeared soon after. He hadn't even bothered to get fully dressed, which was unheard of for the priss of a man.

She glared darkly as the man came over, struggling at her bonds despite knowing she wouldn't gain anything from doing so.

"Ah yes, the famed Shadow Thief. The villagers aren't even sure if you're a man or a spirit. It will be good to show them the truth. Let's see who you really are…" Her hood was pulled back and the scarf from her face, raven hair spilling free. Nika would have laughed at the way his eyes popped, but she was much too scared.

"Lady Marian! You…how could you…?" He cursed softly. "Damn, you had to do this didn't you…you couldn't sit around and wait for your husband to die, you had to cause just as much trouble."

She felt a moment's satisfaction, knowing he now couldn't keep her for himself. He had to do something public to punish her…

"Inform the town crier…tomorrow we will be burning a traitor at the stake."

Nika's eyes widened as he left, the guards leaving her where she was tied. She slid slowly to the floor, suddenly very scared. A death penalty? She hadn't expected the Sheriff to be willing to go that far! Not only that, but burning at the stake was one of the most painful deaths imaginable, a punishment reserved for traitors to the crown.

She didn't think she could get out of this mess…

The young man watching at the window to the guardhouse gasped and turned, running straight for the forest. He snatched one of the horses that had been freed and rode it straight to camp.

Robin was not going to be happy…

He arrived and shouted for everyone to wake up, for someone to get Robin Hood. The amber eyes man appeared in the doorway to his hut in the trees a second later, looking like he hadn't slept a bit.

"What is it?" he asked, climbing down to the ground. The boy practically fell off his horse and gasped for air.

"Lady Marian…the Sheriff is going to burn her at the stake, tomorrow at dawn!" he said, so quickly his words ran together.

Dayn stared at the young man for a long moment, and then his eyes darkened and narrowed to slits. It was a look his men knew well by now. It meant killing and danger. Little John went to gather the men without being told.

Dayn was grateful. It meant he didn't have to try and think or speak. He just wanted to feel for a moment. Rage, adrenaline, hope…it all swirled through him and he looked in the direction Nottingham lay in.

"I promised, Nika." He whispered.

As the sky began to lighten, Nika was untied and forced to change into an undyed cotton shift. The Sheriff had decided not to tell the people she was the Shadow thief. It would make her death rally the people against him even more. That, and they didn't want to admit to having been tricked by a woman. The soldiers had spent the night building the rough wooden platform and filling the underside with tinder. The post in the middle of it seemed to mock her and she swallowed thickly. They hadn't had much rain the past few days, the whole thing would burn easily.

She was grabbed roughly and led from the guardhouse and the villagers put up an angry cry at the sight of her. They had been gathered for the spectacle, but hadn't been told who was being punished. The angry people shouted for them to release her and pleaded for the Sheriff to have mercy…but they were ignored as Nika was tied tightly to the post.

She didn't make a sound in her bravery, but silent tears rolled down her face and she was trembling in terror. She looked to the sky and down again, around at the people she now thought of as her own. She spotted Cora and Evelyn, hugging each other and staring in horror. Friar Tuck stood in the doorway to the church, looking as if he may collapse in fear for what was happening. She could see his lips moving in a constant, silent prayer.

She pictured her parents back home. They'd never know what happened to her. She could see the newspaper stories of how she'd disappeared and never returned, all thanks to a science experiment.

But it was imagining Dayn's face that pulled a sob from her throat. She'd never see him again…never see his eyes light up or darken in anger, never see him run a hand through already messy hair… She'd never get to yell at him or forgive him…or anything, ever again…

She took a shaking breath as two soldiers came forward, each with a torch. They lit either side of the platform and the flames spread quickly, greedily gobbling at the tinder before them. Smoke soon filled the air, burning at her lungs.

How did one prepare for such a death? She didn't know…she just wished she could have seen Dayn one last time.

Dayn saw smoke and fear shot through him so strongly that he kicked his horse hard enough to make the animal bleed. Merlin let out a shrill neigh and sped up, pulling away from the other men as they raced to the village.

He caught sight of Nika for the first time in weeks and growled angrily. Her skin was pale and she was coughing weakly, sweat beading on her skin as the fire drew near. She was hanging limp in the ropes that tied her to the vertical post.

An arrow was already knocked on his bow and he swung it up, killing the guard closest to the pyre.

He stopped the stallion, making the animal rear sharply amidst shocked cries. Soldiers were gathering and the villagers were cheering. They moved to hinder the soldiers. They wanted Robin to save Lady Marian; they didn't want the soldiers to interfere with the rescue.

Dayn didn't notice any of it, leaping from the rearing stallion and into the flames. Excalibur, icy cold, came out with an angry hiss, slicing away the ropes that held Nika to the pole. He caught her as she fell, wrapping them both in his cloak before jumping back through the blaze.

He tossed aside the burning cloak as the other men rode up, and Much was holding Merlin's reins. "Robin! Go! Little John says to get her safe, we'll catch up!" the boy yelled.

Dayn nodded, lifting Nika onto the stallion before mounting himself. They sped away to Sherwood Forest, leaving chaos behind them.

Nika wasn't sure was happening, barely conscious. She knew that she'd been gasping for air and coughing like crazy when the ropes had given way. She'd thought maybe they'd burned through, but someone caught her.

She coughed again, only somewhat aware she was safe. She was limp against whoever was holding her, unable to catch a breath. All she knew was that she wasn't burning, and very grateful for the fact.

Dayn held Nika close, hating every cough and the way she gasped for air. She smelled of smoke and her skin had been smudged with ash, beneath which she was deathly pale.

He arrived back at camp and men and boys rushed over. Dayn barked for them to get water and cloths, carrying Nika into one of the ground huts.

He lay her gently on the bed there, thanking the boy who brought a bowl of water, a cup and a cloth. Dayn used the cup to get her to drink, then the cloth to wipe at her skin. He pressed the cool cloth to her forehead, cheeks and neck, unaware that everyone had left the hut.

"Nika?" he whispered, voice faint.

Nika opened bleary eyes, blinking to try and see clearly once more. She finally looked up, seeing Dayn's face floating above her. Was she dreaming?

"Dayn?" she asked in confusion, voice rough with smoke. She coughed slightly again and slowly realized what must have happened. Her bravery left in a rush and tears leaked from her eyes, leaving tracks in the soot on her cheeks. She gripped the young man's shirt and pulled herself upright, simply leaning against his chest as she cried softly.

She'd never been so glad to see anyone in her entire life.

Dayn wrapped his arms around her, letting her relax against him, and rested his head on hers. Stars he'd missed her! He felt tears slip down his own cheeks and gave a shaky sigh.

"Bloody hell Nika, don't ever do that to me again." He whispered. He knew it wasn't her fault, but he had to say _something_. He smoothed her hair, whispering that it was alright. She was safe…

Nika chuckled softly at his words, pulling away to wipe her face. She looked up at him with a wane smile. "Teach me to do something so risky. Should have known I'd get caught eventually. The Shadow Thief was too well known and there were too many soldiers around."

Dayn blinked in surprise. "The Shadow Thief? That was you?" he chuckled and shook his head. "I suppose I should have figured that out myself."

She nodded and coughed lightly, reaching up and pulling her scarf from her head. "I'm sorry Dayn…I know you needed someone on the inside." She said softly.

Dayn shook his head, running his fingers through her rainbow streaks without thought before pulling her into a hug. "Don't worry about it. I'd much rather have you here."

Nika was too worn out, and his words made her eyes fill with tears again. Her arms slipped around his waist, hugging him tightly. She buried her face in his shirt, not caring that it smelled like smoke. She knew she was even worse.

"I missed you." She whispered finally. "I hated being there all by myself."

Dayn sighed, feeling his body drain of tension it had held onto for a whole month. His body was grateful, but his heart thanked Nika for her words more than anything.

He chuckled a little. "I missed hearing you insult me. Correct me." He whispered into her hair.

Nika smirked against his chest. "No one is better at it than me." She said, her voice falsely smug. "And don't tell me you don't deserve it, because you do." She tried to pull away again as she came to her senses. After all, the hurt was still there, as fresh as if it had happened moments ago.

Dayn wanted to continue the conversation; it was going so well so far! But a shout outside announced the return of the others. And Dayn he had a responsibility to the men who'd helped with the rescue. He stood from the bed and went to the door, Nika watching as he left.

Did he know how much he'd changed? Nika doubted it. Muscle had hardened over the past month; his movements were graceful and deadly. She went to the door and peeked through, watching as Dayn greeted the others and went to care for injuries. He was a leader now…he'd truly become the Robin Hood of legends.

She sighed, both proud and sad, and went back to the bed. She lay down and was asleep within moments. She'd have plenty of time to worry about things later.

Nika slept most of the next day, but once she was up and about, the change around camp was immediate. The men were all on better behavior and kept things clean and orderly. She helped with everything, despite many protests. And the hint of a feminine touch worked wonders Dayn hadn't even expected. She was a very good cook, though she told Dayn it was only thanks to her love for chemistry. Roast venison was no longer the only meal on the menu and spirits rose. Clothes were washed more regularly, and the huts were swept clean. And everyone liked to hear her humming as she worked in the mornings, even if it was a tad off tune.

But while she and the men and boys got along fine, she and Dayn were once again at odds with each other. Things hadn't been so awkward before, but they'd both had enough to keep them busy that they didn't have to be together all the time. The camp didn't offer a lot of distraction for either of them, and it didn't take long before they both grew snippy with each other.

The men laughed at Dayn, and how the pair was constantly tip-toeing around each other, saying the two only needed some 'bed-time' and they'd be fine, but Dayn knew differently. Their time apart had done more harm than good.

Finally, about a week after the rescue, he decided to take her hunting, giving them both a chance to escape the men at camp. Dayn liked having time when he didn't have to be a leader, when people weren't always looking to him for answers. Nika liked not having to be a lady, not having to focus on the womanly duties she'd been forced to take charge of.

The problem was…now they were stuck with each other.

"This is dumb, I can't shoot worth beans." She said grumpily as she followed Dayn through the trees.

Dayn sighed and looked at her, trying to stay patient. "That's why I'm going to teach you, Nika." He finally stopped and handed her a bow. "Show me how you would hold it." He said, giving her an arrow and watching with a skilled eye as the knocked it.

Nika frowned as she got the arrow in place and lifted the bow. She drew the string, her arms shaking a bit. She was barely strong enough for this bow, and holding it was hard.

"How's this?"

Dayn sighed and came up behind her. His hands covered her own, bringing her arm into the correct alignment. He was so focused on showing her how to do things properly, that he didn't notice a few things. Like how close they were, or how her skin was warm and her hair smelled wonderful.

"Now, where do you want the arrow to go?" he asked softly in her ear.

Nika barely kept from shivering, and her heart was beating much too fast. She made herself focus, though it wasn't easy.

"Um…into…something. That'd be good." She breathed, trying to get her fuzzy mind to work properly. "Let's try that birch over there."

Dayn froze, her slightly breathy voice triggering the many observations he'd been forcing himself not to notice. He felt his heart pound, every touch against her arms making his skin tingle, and her hair brushing his cheek igniting sparks.

"Sounds good." He whispered, directing her aim almost regretfully. When she fired, it would end. He finally got the arrow steady and in place. "Release." He breathed into her ear.

Nika's breath – which she'd been holding without realizing it – did release, as well as her fingers. She watched as the arrow flew straight and true, landing with a thunk in the birch tree.

She hurried to twist free of his arms, gripping the wood of the bow so tightly her knuckles turned white. "I still think you should stick to the hunting." She managed to get out. "I can't do anything without help, as I've proven tine and time again."

Dayn merely nodded, hiding the sudden ache, and picked up his own bow. "Fine. But don't say you can't do anything Nika, it's a lie and you know it." He said firmly, running his fingers over the well worn wood. "You get in trouble easily, but that doesn't mean you need me or anyone else. You've proven that."

Nika had only meant that she couldn't shoot a bow…but she had been waiting for an excuse to explode. And boy did it feel good.

"Not need anyone? What are you talking about? I would have died a few days ago if I'd been on my own! Hell, I wouldn't have survived _high school_ without you!" she pointed out angrily. "Even then you still took off after graduation!"

Dayn didn't bother to try and control his anger, letting himself blow up at her.

"You needed me in high school, sure! But the moment we graduated you didn't need me anymore. You treated everyone like they were your best friend! I didn't mind that you changed Nika, but you made it clear you no longer needed my support."

Nika's jaw dropped. "Is _that_ what you think? Dayn, you were my best friend! I made you promise that you'd remain so! A promise you seemed willing enough to break. Yeah, I changed. I wanted to stop being invisible, and that requires talking to people. But none of them could be you, and I didn't want them to be you. I always needed _you_ Dayn, but you abandoned me, what was I supposed to do?"

She scoffed angrily. "And don't you dare scold me for it, you change more than I did. You never used to be mean, you never used to party all the time and get drunk and make out with random girls."

Dayn stared at her and it hit him like a ton of bricks…he'd known of course, but hearing her say it… It was his fault. The entire thing was his fault.

He sank to the ground, back against a tree and his head in trembling hands. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry, I never…I never meant to…" Dark amber eyes closed tightly, fighting tears. "My family…they wanted me to be what they wanted so badly…I didn't want to let them down."

Nika snorted sadly. "And it's better for you to let yourself down? Is that it? Did you even try to fight it?"

"I…wanted to. But then…you didn't need me anymore and I just…I got lost somewhere. I never meant to change. I never meant to lose myself…you…"

Nika took a shaky breath, ignoring the tear that rolled down her cheek. "You promised me, Dayn. You made a promise and turned around and broke it. You made it look so easy." She sighed, shaking her head. "You lost me…but even worse, you never tried to find me again."

She slowly knelt down before him, but only because her knees were trembling so badly she was sure she'd fall down if she didn't sit down. "You never called for help. Not once." She whispered. "I would have come running, you know that. Even after all that…crap you put me through."

"I know, I'm sorry." He whispered, finally looking at her. His amber eyes held so much regret and grief that she was finding it incredibly difficult to stay angry with him.

"I'm sorry too." She whispered, getting to her feet. She turned and left without another word.

Dayn watched her leave and sighed, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. He needed to straighten himself out. He needed to figure out who he was. It'd be worth it… To get Nika back, it'd be worth it.

The next few days were odd. Things weren't really awkward between the two anymore, it was impossible now that everything was out in the open. They could at least talk now, and get through entire days without getting angry at each other. It was almost as if they were starting over with their friendship.

Nika, who had often been the first to snap, seemed to have lost sight of her anger. There was no need, not anymore. It was stupid and it wasn't helping, good as it may feel at the time. As such, she worked harder to control her temper.

Dayn was true to his word, and spent a lot of time to himself, just thinking. Once this was over and they went home, he knew he had some work to do. Starting with confronting his parents and telling them that he was the only one who'd be making decisions about his life from now on. And the first of those decisions would be to leave the fraternity and get a room in the dorms with everyone else.

One day after dinner, the two were taking their few dishes to the creek to wash when they felt a tugging sensation. Both looked at their feet and then at each other with wide eyes. Silver sparks swirling around their feet only meant one thing.

They were moving through time once more.

"No." Nika breathed, but her words were lost in a scream as the pair was ripped right through the fabric of time.

_I...LOVE this chapter. It just hits all the right notes with me :D I hope you liked it too, but please please tell me!_

_It's a lot different from the original roleplay I did with Kaisaan Greenleaf. From here on out, i'm changing a whole bunch, lol._

_Review please pretty please!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Dayn woke with a groan, hearing Nika do the same beside him. He opened his eyes, bracing himself for whatever new time period they were in…

And blinked in surprise.

He and Nika sat on the time machine, surrounded by wide eyed college students in lab coats.

"Nika…Nika we're back!" he whispered.

Nika shot upright, looking around in shock. "Back?" she asked dumbly. "But…now?"

They were being stared at, and no wonder. They both wore clothing out of the middle ages, Dayn hadn't shaved in days and Nika's hair had grown inches since they'd left. She looked around at the stunned faces and her jaw dropped at the sight of one man in particular.

"Merlin?"

Merlin's jaw was flapping, looking like a fish out water as he stared at them. "You!"

"You! You're…ancient!" she exclaimed getting to her feet. "We saw you with King Arthur, that was two thousand years go!"

"Hey, I'm as surprised as you guys!"

Dayn grumbled as he got to his feet, glaring at the many people openly staring. "How long were we gone?"

"Two days." Someone said. Nika's jaw dropped again.

"Two…days? It's been months!" she said weakly.

"How did we get back?" he asked.

"That was us." One of the girls said, looking both proud and nervous. "We didn't know exactly where you were…so we kept pulling you through a bit at a time. The machine takes a while to cool down in between though. The closer you got, the better we could detect your distance through time. We finally managed to get the right math this time."

Dayn made a face. "Out!" he ordered, months of leadership had given him a tone that was meant to be obeyed. Students scampered.

Nika looked up at him. "We have to go back, the story isn't done!"

Dayn nodded. "Can you get us back there?"

"It'll take some figuring out…but yeah." Nika said.

"Good, Dayn and I need to chat." Merlin said as the girl hurried to the upper area of the lab. Merlin looked at the sword on Dayn's hip and grinned. "You realize that sword is Excalibur, right?"

Dayn glared and nodded. "I know. It used to be a charm on a necklace." He raided a brow. "I didn't steal it if that's what you want to know."

Merlin chuckled. "I don't _want_ to know anything, I know more than you do." He pointed out. He grabbed a chair and sat on it backwards, arms resting on the back. "I already know where you got it, when you got it and why you have it."

Dayn's eyes sparked in interest, but he refused to rise to the bait. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"You're no fun. Fine… According to the stories, after Arthur died I threw the sword back into the lake where it came from. It's not true. After Arthur died, the sword disappeared. It's been passing from one person to another as time has passed, always going to the one who needs it the most. It hasn't been easy to keep track of." He said, exasperation lining his voice.

Dayn chuckled and looked up at Nika. She made a funny picture, dressed in her dress from the middle ages and writing out equations on a whiteboard. "So…now what?"

"I…play a bigger role in history than most know." Merlin said vaguely. Dayn caught a flash of great weariness in the man's eyes, but it was gone an instant later. "Basically, I need the sword. Someone needs it desperately right now, and I'm the only possible means for her to get it."

Dayn chewed his lip. "How much time do I have?"

"What? Oh…a week or so I guess. Why?"

"Because I still need it. I have a responsibility to finish something…and I can't do it without the sword."

"What kind of responsibility?"

Now, Dayn did smirk. "The story of Robin Hood isn't complete without Robin and Marian there."

Merlin's eyes widened, looking between Dayn and Nika for a moment before grinning. "Well you two get around. I think that'll be alright. Long as you can get back here before the week is out."

"That'll be easy." Nika said with a smile as she came down the stairs. "Because now, we have a way to get back." She held up a small token and grinned. "Got the idea from the Timeline movie. When we want to come back, we can do so. And if my calculations are right…it shouldn't be more than a few hours on this end."

"Perfect. We better go, we can't be gone long." Dayn said.

Nika nodded and grabbed Merlin's hand, pulling him up to consol. "When I say so, press these buttons in this order. All the math is already in there, you just have to start the machine."

She hurried to the platform and joined Dayn, a smile on her face. "This is much more exciting when you know what's happening." She confided as the rings started to swirl.

Dayn had to laugh as their feet left the floor, and he waved at Merlin before they disappeared.

The pair hurried to their feet when they regained consciousness, spinning around. It was dark and raining, but they were right by the camp. "We're back!" Dayn exclaimed in happiness, sweeping Nika into his arms and spinning her around in a circle.

Nika giggled happily, hugging him tight as they spun. She'd been so worried she'd been too early she didn't care that she was already soaked from the rain. It wasn't easy to calculate their return when she didn't know the date for the day they'd left.

"Who's there?"

"Will!" she exclaimed. "It's me N- Marian! And Robin!"

"Robin?" Will said, coming through the trees with wide eyes. "You've been gone three days, where have you been?"

Dayn winced. "We were…ah…pulled away on other business." He said vaguely. Will was about to ask again and Nika shook her head.

"Please Will, just trust us."

The redhead made a face but didn't get a chance to argue. A great bellow went up and Little John ran over, lifting them both into a hug. Nika giggled in merriment as the large man scolded Dayn, who joined her laughter as they were set down again.

"We'll need updates on what's been happening." Dayn said.

"After we get changed into dry clothes." Nika insisted. "We'll meet you in the main hut." She said firmly, grabbing Dayn's hand and pulling him into the storage shed where they'd find some fresh clothing.

Dayn was happy to get changed into dry clothes, but he didn't leave right away. Instead he sat on a barrel and ran a hand through damp hair with a sigh. Robin Hood, Excalibur…what next?

Nika emerged from behind a few crates wearing a fresh cream shift which hugged her figure. She shook out the red wool dress she'd grabbed and looked over in concern. "Dayn? You ok?"

He nodded. "Yeah…I just feel like there's too much weighing on me. Like someone else should be doing all this." He smiled wryly. "Robin Hood armed with Excalibur. Think my parents would be satisfied with that?"

Nika snorted in amusement. "I think your parents would think you'd gone insane if you told them that! Even so…both legends are too…scruffy for their liking." She teased, pulling on the red dress.

Dayn chuckled. "That's true." He looked up at her, watching as she grimaced and finger combed her wet hair. The rainbow dye was almost washed out by now, just faded colors. "Do you think fate picked wrong?"

Nika smiled gently at him. "Honestly…I think fate picked perfectly." She admitted. "Dayn…look around you. You did this…you became the Robin Hood of legends, you're leading people in a revolt against the Prince…this is _you_, not a story."

Dayn chuckled again. "That's what I'm afraid of. This isn't a story, people get hurt and killed. And I'm responsible for these people…"

Nika shrugged. "I know Dayn…but I also know you'll be fine. Your men trust you, I believe in you…just don't die and there will be a happy ending." She shivered at the thought, hiding it by grabbing a blue shawl and wrapping a cream scarf around her head to hide her hair.

"Come on Mr. Hood. The Merry Men await their leader." She teased, before she ducked through the door and ran to the main hut.

The pair was greeted with warmth from people who'd missed them, and were soon seated at the head of their handmade table. They had a lot to catch up on.

Over the past three days, the others had been busy. Nika and Dayn listened to reports of tax shipments they'd robbed, villagers locked up for not being able to pay, and a number of rescues. Friar Tuck had even been forced from the church to hide. They had managed to get their stored things out before the soldiers came to take him away, and the priest now sat with them at the table, a fading black eye still apparent. Prince John had raised the taxes yet again and the jails were filling up like crazy.

Nika sat back in disbelief. "He keeps asking for money, but all the people are in jail. How does John expect to get anything?"

Dayn stood, angry, and started pacing. "He doesn't, not really. He just wants control and this is a way to show he has it." The young man looked at Little John. "How many personal guards would you say Prince John has every day?"

Little John blinked at the change in topic and answered slowly. "Ten to fifteen. Why Rob?"

Nika sat back in her seat and crossed her arms, looking warily up at Dayn. "Yeah, why Rob?" she repeated. "You're not thinking of going straight for Prince John, are you?"

Dayn didn't answer right away, thinking as he paced. "Prince John is…much too close to King Richard at the moment. How do we know he isn't poisoning his brother or keeping him locked up?"

Much shrugged. "We don't."

Dayn nodded with a smile. "Exactly, we don't. Not unless we go and see for ourselves. Not unless Prince John is taken out of the picture, even temporarily."

Little John narrowed his eyes. "Are you suggesting we capture Prince John?"

Nika's jaw dropped when Dayn nodded. "Are you crazy?" she hissed. "D- Robin, if we capture the prince, what would we do with him? We can't just bring him here; every soldier in the country will be searching for him."

"Every paid soldier at least…the loyal ones." Will said thoughtfully. "But many of the soldiers are underpaid. We may be able to get away with it; John has very few true supporters."

Dayn grinned like a wolf and Little John shook his head in wonder. "You go away for three days and come back with a plan like this. Robin, you should go away more often!" the large man said with a chuckle.

The young man laughed with him and looked at the other men. "Well? What say you? Shall we see how our king is really faring?"

Everyone shouted in agreement. The men were already arguing over who should go to the capitol and when the move should be made.

Only Nika sat in silence, and she finally slipped unnoticed from the hut. She climbed to the hut in the trees she and Dayn shared and sighed, shaking her shawl free of rain and moving to the window.

It didn't take long for Dayn to notice the girl's absence. He too left as the mead was brought out, climbing to their room and knocking on the door. "Nika? You alright?"

"Come in." Nika called softly, unsure of her answer to the second question at the moment. Dayn came in as she tugged off her headscarf, scratching her head and running her fingers through her hair. She stopped when her fingers hit a massive table and sighed. "I…don't know yet." She said softly, pulling her hair over her shoulder and trying to work the knots out.

Dayn grabbed her comb from a shelf and moved to stand behind her, combing her hair with gentle fingers as she watched the rain. "What's wrong Nika?"

She sighed, leaning her head against the edge of the window. "I'm just…scared I guess." She finally admitted. "I lost you once…it hurt. I don't want to go through that again."

Dayn shook his head. "You won't lose me Nika. I'll be fine, I promise."

"You mean we." She said.

"Huh?"

Nika turned, glaring at him. "We. I'm coming too. I'm not going to sit around here wondering what's happening, I'll go insane." She said frankly.

Dayn made a face, but his eyes sparkled. "Fine. Your parents would kill me if I let you go insane."

She grinned. "Yup. Then they'd find a way to bring you back and kill you again." She said in a matter of fact voice.

Dayn sighed and turned her around again, still working on the tangles in her damp hair. "Do you think I'm being reckless? With this plan?"

Nika nodded. "Yes. I don't think it's a bad thing though. Despite…personal fears. We're not getting anywhere attacking wagons in the woods, we need to actually _do_ something."

"Glad to hear it." He said with a cheeky grin. She snorted as he finished with her hair, and covered a yawn.

"You're not going to party with the men?" she asked, pulling off the wool dress and crawling into her bed against the wall. Dayn shook his head, pulling off his shirt and getting into his own bed on the opposite side of the room. Of course, the treetop room wasn't terribly large, and Nika could have reached over and been able to touch him had she cared to.

"I told you, I don't drink anymore."

"Doesn't mean you can't go have a good time."

Dayn grinned and blew out the candle, teeth flashing in the dark. "I did have a good time. Now I'm going to bed."

"Party pooper."

"Lazy-butt."

"Copy-cat."

"Captain Obvious."

Nika was the first to crack up, giggling merrily as she curled up under the blankets. Dayn beamed in triumph even as he laughed with her. This…this was how things between them were supposed to be.

"Goodnight Nika."

"G'night Dayn."

Nika watched as the selected team rode through the forests outside London, everyone wary of anything that wasn't supposed to be there. Besides them of course. Dayn and Nika had agreed to keep the "main characters" close, and so they made up the team. Little John and Will had come along of course, and Drake had insisted on coming as well. Much and the Friar had stayed behind, promising to keep an eye on things back at the camp.

Nika had gladly abandoned her dresses for the trip, and now wore her black leggings and loose white shirt, along with a vest. Her hair could easily be hid in the hood of her black cloak, and her scarf was in her pocket, ready to be wrapped around her face at a moment's notice. The identity of the Shadow Thief was only known by the Sheriff and his officers, none of them had told a soul they'd been tricked by a female.

Dayn called the halt and everyone dismounted with weary groans. It had been a long day's ride to get here before dark, and almost everyone was eager for a nice long rest. Will and Drake were the only restless ones, and they agreed to go and scout out the city. They couldn't make any real plans until they knew what they were dealing with. While they were gone, the others prepared camp and a place to tie up Prince John. It wouldn't do for them to grab the man only to have him escape.

When the two returned, the group gathered around the fire to discuss plans. Will spoke first.

"I think it'll be best if we split up. There aren't many ways to get to the palace, but it'll be a lot harder if we're all trying to get in the same way."

Little John was shaking his head. "We're stronger together, if we split up we're losing that advantage."

Dayn disagreed. "I think Will is right. If we split up, we're less likely to be noticed. And we'll have more control over a wider spread of the palace." He didn't mention that if something went wrong, at least one group had a chance to escape.

"Supposedly, the prince has a secret passage to escape in case of an attack. The servants think it's somethin' t' do wif 'is fireplace." Drake said. "It'd be the easiest way to get 'im out unnoticed."

Nika nodded, a slightly savage grin on her lips. "I like it…his plan to stay safe is exactly what'll get him caught. It has a certain poetic justice to it."

Dayn chuckled. "Alright. Marian, you and Drake take the street entrance. You won't be looked at twice as two boys, you can get in through the servants quarters." The two nodded. "Little John, Will, you'll stick with me. We'll go in from above. Will knows the rooftops well by now, we'll get in through a window. No one will suspect a thing."

He sighed and looked at them all. Solid and steady Little John, sharp and sarcastic Will, brave and quick Drake…and Nika. His wonderful, smart, beautiful Nika.

"Best get some sleep everyone. We've got a busy day tomorrow."

Nika was the only one to not move, watching as the others got into their bedrolls and settled down. She looked at Dayn, who hadn't moved either, and didn't think before hugging him tight. He gladly pulled her close, burying his face in her hair.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." She whispered, her fingers gripping his tunic. He nodded.

"I know…it's not the ideal plan, but it's the best option. You know that."

"Yeah…yeah I do. It still sucks. I won't be there to keep an eye on you this time."

He chuckled softly and pulled away from her. "Nika…we'll be fine. Trust me."

She glared at him, though a teasing spark was in her eyes. "You know full well that I don't. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise." He said, seriously, but with a smile as well. She stuck her tongue out at him and moved to her own bedroll, crawling in and shivering at the cool fabric.

"Goodnight Dayn."

"Goodnight Nika."

Nika and Dayn moved quickly through the gloomy city streets, entirely unnoticed. Street urchins rarely were. Nika was dressed as a boy, so most assumed her to be one. Drake had shot up like a weed in the past few months, and was a gangly stork in comparison. But everyone simply assumed them to be either brothers or friends, hurrying home in the rain.

"I've never been so grateful for fowl weather." Nika whispered when they stopped under an awning for a breather.

Drake nodded. "Tis perfect, everyone looks the same when they're wet." He said with a grin.

Nika looked at the palace looming over them and shivered. It was a dark and dreary looking place, and looked empty. It gave her the creeps the way a haunted house would. "Where's the entrance the servants use?"

"Not far. Come on." He dashed away again and Nika hurried to follow, pulling her hood further over her face to keep the rain out of her eyes. He led her through a gate in the wall around the castle, and to the back corner of a courtyard. There, a large wooden door stood open, light pouring from it.

They dashed inside with a large group of muddy servants, whose job, it seemed, was to care for the pigs. As they laughed about how happy the pigs were for the mud, Nika and Drake snuck off to the side and into the shadows, slipping off into a hallway.

"Great…now we just need to find out where the King's rooms are." Nika whispered.

"What? Aren't we trying to find the Prince?"

Nika shook her head. "We need to see how the King is doing first."

"Does Rob know about this part o' the plan?"

"Well…no. There's no way he would have agreed to it if I had told him. He only said it was up to us to find out how the king is doing. He didn't specify as to how. " She pointed out. She and Drake were the perfect ones do it, as they could pretend to be lost if they were caught. The three men wouldn't be able to get by with such an excuse.

"I think 'e was thinkin' we'd talk wif the servants on our way in."

"This is much more direct. I don't know if we can trust the servants to tell the truth."

Drake chuckled. "'E's not going to be 'appy about that."

"That's his problem, not mine."

They took the first staircase they found up as high as they could go. They doubted the King's rooms would be on any of the lower levels. After ages of wandering and cautiously peeking into various rooms though, they had to admit it.

"We're completely lost." Drake hissed.

"I know! I don't even remember where the stairs were…"

"Easy t' get back down, just jump out a window." The boy teased.

"Har de har har." Nika said in a sarcastic whisper. "Feel free to turn yourself into a stain on the cobblestones, I'll take the slow way down."

"If ye can find it you mean."

"Oh shut up."

"What are you boys doing here?" a stern voice said behind them. They spun to see a large woman, who was rather frightening considering her small size.

"We're lost." Drake said quickly. Nika elbowed him, a sign to let her handle this.

"Please Lady…" she said softly, deepening her voice slightly. The woman was no lady, but flattery worked wonders. "We were 'oping to see the King. Our Mum is sick, she'll die any day now. She's been sayin' she wished the King were better, then maybe she'd get better too. We wanted to wish 'im our best." She invented as she spoke, praying the woman was a soft-hearted one.

The woman softened a bit. "The king, eh? You know the prince won't want you seeing him." There was a deep look of dislike in her eyes and Nika took the plunge.

"'E need never know we were there! Please mum, can you tell us where to find the King?"

The woman smiled. "Well…I don't see what harm you boys could so." She said slowly. Nika nervously pulled her hat down, making sure her hair was hidden. "Alright, come on then."

She turned to lead them along and Nika beamed in triumph. Drake rolled his eyes and she stuck her tongue out at him. She liked Drake, he didn't treat her like a piece of glass, and often more like she was one of the boys. It was a refreshing change.

The servant woman left them with instructions on how to get back downstairs, having work to do elsewhere. Nika was grateful for the fact, she didn't have to be secretive in her investigation. The two slipped through the heavy oak door, closing it softly behind them. The King's rooms were dark and hot, and Nika grimaced as the too-warm, heavily perfumed air made her feel like she was suffocating.

Drake lit a lamp and they moved into the rooms. The furniture was all covered in sheets, as if there was no one living here anymore. But as they peeked through the curtains around the bed, there was someone sleeping there.

Nika slowly pulled back the heavy curtains and grimaced at the smell. The man hadn't been washed it seemed…and laying in an enclosed space like that would make anyone sick.

"My Lord?" she asked softly, nervous.

Watery blue eyes opened, the eyes of someone who was anything but well. His rich brown hair was limp and graying with age, his beard untrimmed. "Elaine? Oh good, I'm parched." He said. Apparently he couldn't really see her. Nika nodded and turned to the bucket by the door, filling a goblet from the table and bringing it over.

"Drink this my Lord, it'll help." She said softly.

"My brother has not yet come to visit me today. Has he run out of his potion?"

"Potion, my Lord?"

"The potion he is having made for me. It will help me to heal." Nika eyed the bandages around the man's torso.

"He will come, your Highness. But before he does, I am to inspect and clean the wound."

"Of course."

Nika and Drake worked together, pulling back the blankets and peeling back the bandages. They desperately needed to be changed. Nika was no doctor, but even she knew that much. As they revealed the wound itself, Nika had to turn away to hide a gag. The wound was putrid, and smelled awful. She held her breath as she turned back, inspecting it with her eyes.

"Doesn't it hurt?" Drake asked, his voice one of awe.

"No." the King said with a smile. "That is what my brother's potion does for me. It keeps me from pain."

"The dressing needs to be changed." Nika said, her voice slightly choked. "It won't heal like this. These bandages are holding infection in." she bit her lip, knowing he may not truly understand. "You should have the bandages changed daily, my Lord. That way, the wound will get clean and heal faster. If you don't, you'll be bedridden for months."

"I have been bedridden for months, my dear. I haven't died."

"Yet. You haven't died yet."

The King frowned and looked at her, really looked at her. Nika smiled and pulled off the hat, letting her braid fall free. "You're not Elaine."

"No." she said. "Please my lord, I'm here to help. Let me explain. Your brother, Prince John…he is being a horrible leader. He is taxing the heart and soul out of England, all to keep himself in power."

He looked unsure. "I don't believe you. John is not that heartless."

"He's heartless enough that half the population is in jail. Simply because there's not enough money left to pay the taxes he demands."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Lady Marian, wife of Lord Robert of Locksley." She said without hesitation.

He frowned. "John has spoken of you…of your husband. He says you are outlaws, troublemakers."

"He speaks the truth." Nika said bluntly. "Neither my husband nor I will support him. We won't help him to hurt the people we rule over. As such, we were forced from our home. We gave up our protection under the law in order to feed our people and keep them safe from the Prince's men."

Nika was sure she was getting somewhere. She was sure of it! There was a spark of doubt in the King's eyes and she pounced.

"Your brother is cruel, my Lord. He wants-"

"What is going on here?" a new voice demanded. "Who are you?"

Nika and Drake spun. In the doorway to the room was a very finely dressed man wearing a crown on his head. His hair was dark and brushed to a sheen, and his beard was neatly trimmed close to his chin. He was very handsome, but there was a heartlessness in his blue eyes and smile. Nika looked at the boy beside her. "Get out." She whispered, before turning to face the prince. Drake didn't move, determined not to leave her.

"I am Lady Marian of Locksley." She said.

Blue eyes flashed. "Locksley? You're one of those…those outlaws in Sherwood forest."

"I am."

"A follower of Robin Hood."

"Indeed your highness, you catch on quickly." Her smirk hid her quaver of fear as he glared at her. Drake ran at him before he could say another word, pushing him right into the wall. Drake and Nika took off running. It was time to get out of here.

A hand grabbed the girl's braid and she yelled in anger as much as pain as the Prince yanked her back.

"John!" the King said behind him, shocked.

"She is a traitor to the crown!"

"No, only a traitor to you." Nika said angrily. She pulled the dagger from her belt and sliced through her own hair, running down the hall with Drake before the prince could react.

He called for the guards, but it was too late. They were gone.

_Alright, we're back in business! Or, Dayn and Nika are, lol. Just to let ya'll know, this is the last chapter which was based of the roleplay between myself and Kaisaan Greenleaf. Nika and Drake had just entered the city when we stopped roleplaying, so from here on out, everything is my invention ^^_

_Hope you enjoyed it, please review!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Dayn led Will and Little John over the rooftops of the city of London, the thatch and the rain masking any sounds their passage may have created. It didn't take long for them to reach the walls of the palace, and they used it to their advantage. They avoided any of the guards on the wall, and using a rope and grappling hook, were able to climb right up the back wall of one of the towers and into one of the higher windows.

The trio dripped silently in the hall they wound up in, and at Dayn's silent signal, they crept noiselessly through the upper halls of the palace.

It didn't take long at all to find the prince's rooms. The area of the palace he lived in was richly furnished, with tapestries on the walls and rugs on the floor which both warmed the stone rooms and made their passage even more unnoticed.

The door to the prince's room was richly carved and bordered by well polished stands holding candles. After ensuring it was empty, they crept inside to see that everything was gold and red and rich wood inside.

"He's got enough money in here to feed Nottingham for a year!" Will said in disgust, looking around. He went to table and opened the lid of a box there, and soon gold jewelry was getting acquainted with the redhead's purse. Little John shook his head, being the honorable man that he was, but didn't say anything. He wasn't going to complain about stealing from a man as evil as Prince John.

Dayn, listening at the door, chuckled softly. "When you're done enriching yourself Will, why don't you look around and see if you can find anything incriminating. A poison or something…something to prove his guilt."

Only five minutes later, Will's "Ah ha!" echoed a tad too loudly through the room. "Sorry Rob. But look here, he's got a whole box of it!" He was pointing to a crate, suspiciously plain in the richly decorated room, filled with little clay bottles.

Little John went over and popped he cork of one, sniffing at it. "It's not a mixture I know."

"Take one anyway, someone else surely will."

"The Friar may. The man knows a lot about poisons for a man of the cloth."

Dayn would have laughed again but shouting echoed through the halls and he ushered for the others to hide. They'd only just gotten out of sight when someone burst into the rooms. He was dressed well and wore a gold, ruby encrusted crown on his perfect brown hair. This had to be Prince John. He even matched the room.

"She was in my brother's chamber!" he shouted angrily to the woman following him. She had a dreamy, sweet look to her, and she was the most beautiful creature Dayn had ever seen. There was a weariness in her eyes Dayn couldn't place though… "Everyone is under strict orders to keep away from his rooms. Why was she there?"

He slammed a fist on his desk, sending trinkets flying and making the woman jump. "She was talking to him…who knows what poison she was feeding him. Poison against me. Well we can't have that. Have the castle searched for any more traitors. _He's_ here…I know it."

The woman blinked at him in apparent confusion and the prince rolled his eyes. "Never mind, I'll do it myself. I sometimes wonder why I put up with you, woman."

He left and the woman glared after him, sinking onto the bed. "I wonder that myself John. I'm clearly not good enough for you." She said softly after he was long gone. She looked around and giggled at the lump behind the curtains.

"He's gone, you can come out now." She said with a smile. Little John's head emerged from the curtains and he smiled at the lady. "Are who are you?" she asked.

"Robin Hood." Dayn said, standing from where he'd been hiding behind the bed. It was a risk, but he felt he could trust this mysterious young woman. Will rolled out from under it, tipping his hat at the woman and making her blush with his wink. "This is Little John and Will Scarlet, my best men."

"Three of you? Why so many?"

"If you don't mind, my Lady, we'd rather be the ones asking questions." Dayn said with a warm smile. She nodded, but there was no fear in her eyes.

"I understand. I am Lady Helen. It was…requested that I come here by the prince about a year ago."

"Helen?" Will asked in interest.

She blushed again. "After the great Greek figure, Helen of Troy. My father hoped it would bestow her legendary beauty upon me. He was right." She said, obviously not happy about the fact. Will obviously had no idea what she was talking about, but Dayn did. He had a feeling he'd be telling the man the story of the Trojan War later…

Dayn moved forward, very curious about this young woman. "And who are you to Prince John?"

"A piece of jewelry. A token to prove his power. Nothing more." She said, pursing her lips slightly in what appeared to be a very deep anger. "I am here to stand at his side and look beautiful. I play my part well. He doesn't believe a beautiful woman can have a sharp mind at the same time."

Dayn grinned. "But you do." She looked at him and nodded and he went on. "Lady Helen…do you know what he is doing to the King?"

"Not…exactly." She admitted. "John doesn't attempt to explain things to me, he assumes I won't understand. All I know is that every evening, he takes the king a vial. The King believes it is helping, that it takes his pain. It does keep the pain away…but it means he doesn't know how bad the wound he received in the war really is. It's slowly killing him and he doesn't even know it."

Her wary green eyes glanced at the door, and she was trembling with fear. "Please…don't tell him I told you. He'd kill me if he knew."

"We won't breath a word, lass." Will said, more serious than Dayn had ever seen him. "We won't let you get hurt because of us." Dayn bit back a smile, Little John didn't bother to hide his. Will had a crush, it was highly entertaining.

She blushed again and gasped. "I'd better leave, he doesn't like me being alone in his rooms."

"Will he be back soon?"

"I doubt it. He'll sit in the throne room and brood for a while, and then go into a meeting with his closest friends and followers. They'll be there long past midnight most likely."

Dayn nodded, knowing there was no point in staying, and led the way to the door. Will hesitated and Helen gave him a smile. "I'll be alright. Go. Quickly."

Will finally nodded and dashed away, looking pained that he had to do so. Dayn chuckled and clapped him on the back as he left the room, then turned to smile at her.

"Thank you for everything, Lady Helen."

"No, thank you. You're doing more to save this country than anyone else. Now go!"

Dayn dashed from the door. He was disappointed that their plan to capture the Prince hadn't gone well, but at least they'd learned something of what was going on with the King.

The trio didn't get far, running right into their target around the corner. Apparently, the Prince had forgotten something in his rooms. The man sputtered in surprise and then anger, and the guards around him moved without him having to say so.

"Split!" Dayn yelled. Little John took off down one hall, Will escaped through a window, and Dayn ran back past the prince's rooms. He turned corners and dodged pillars, but soon found himself cornered.

"You can't escape, Robin Hood." The prince said when Dayn was dragged before him. "I don't admire your bravery. It makes you foolish. Your wife was already almost caught in the King's bedchamber, did you think you'd be able to escape after her presence as much as told me you were here?"

Dayn glared, but stayed silent. Prince John frowned. "Take him away. He'll hang at dawn."

Nika paced around the edge of the camp, often freezing at normal forest noises and listening for something else. Anything else. Will and Little John looked at each other where they sat by the fire, worried. Lady Marian and Drake had been the first to return to the camp, followed by Will and soon after, Little John. Robin was the only one who hadn't returned, and Lady Marian was growing more and more worried as time went on. She hadn't been able to keep still all night, her newly cut short hair swirling about her face. It was cut oddly from her escape, shorter in the back than the front, but she hadn't even stopped to trim it straight yet.

"Come and eat Lady, I'm sure he's fine." Will said, trying for the humorous approach. "You'll starve to death and then Rob will blame us for letting you die while he was gone."

Little John sighed when the pacing woman just shook her head and said she wasn't hungry. Will looked at him. He'd tried for something to break the seriousness, now it was John's turn.

"Marian," John said, his voice calm, but firm. "You need to relax. I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for him not to be back yet. Prince John was ordering for the guards to search for us when I got out of the palace. He's probably hiding until it's safe to move."

Nika sighed, and finally came back to the fire. "You're probably right." She grumbled, and John chuckled.

"Eat, young miss. Will's right, Robin would have our heads if we let you starve."

"If he's not back by dawn, I'm going to go look for him."

"We all will." Will promised. "You're not the only one who's worried."

John nodded. Dawn as only a few hours away. He lay down, deciding that if they were going to search the city, he wanted a few hours of sleep under his belt before he did so.

The group donned cloaks as they entered the city, not wanting to be noticed. It was chilly, and many of the people were bundled up. They looked just like everyone else. The four noticed that rather than going about their morning business, whole families were moving towards the castle in the center of the city. Odd…what was going on?

They followed the Londoners as they filtered towards the palace, unsure of what was happening. Finally, Nika's curiosity grew too great and she asked an older woman.

"Public hanging." She said sadly. "Used to be rare. Now we 'ave 'em almost every day. They don't even tell us who the poor souls are before summonin' us anymore."

Nika frowned as she rejoined the others. "Let's go. If anything, the hanging will give us a chance to search the palace for Robin."

John frowned. "We won't try and stop it?"

Nika chewed her lip. "Don't, Little John...it's hard enough to choose between lives as it is."

The large square before the palace was crowded with townspeople. In the center, a hangman's platform stood. It was weathered, as if it had been there for a while, and the wear on the trapdoor spoke of much use.

It made Nika sick.

Dayn struggled as he was grabbed from the cell he'd spent the night in, yelling angrily until someone hit him on the head. He was dragged, dazed, through the stone hallways, and soon a rough sack was pulled over his head to mask his identity.

Being unable to see, he listened instead, trying to figure out where he was. Their footsteps echoed in the halls of the castle, and more so when they went through the entrance hall. He felt the breeze when they were taken through the front gates, and he could hear the murmuring of a crowd beyond the courtyard.

He could sense many people nearby as he was led out into the square, and hear the way his footsteps sounded hollow on the wood of the platform there. Then they stopped and he shivered. He didn't know what would happen now…

The Prince must be smiling at the people, as a halfhearted cheer went up. It must have been good enough for the man because he waved for them to quiet down.

"Yesterday, my men and I managed to capture one of the most notorious outlaws in England!" He said as the guard holding her pulled him forward. "I believe you've all heard the name…Robin Hood." The sack was pulled from his head and Dayn blinked in the brightness of the day.

Now, the people started chittering amongst themselves. This was Robin Hood, the man fighting to save them! One of the only men fighting to save them, and now the Prince was going to kill him! Their only hope faced the noose, and the people were not happy about it.

Dayn struggled as the guard's hands around his arms tightened, but couldn't do a thing as he was pulled backwards. He was situated right over the trap door, and the hangman, wearing a black mask and hood, looped the noose around his neck and tightened it. He growled as it was pulled tight, keeping him from moving so much as an inch for fear of choking himself.

His eyes searched the crowd for a pair of worried grey. Other than escaping, his only desire was to see Nika's face one last time. There was no sign of her. Though it was probably for the best…he didn't want her to see him die…

"Good people, you have come to see a traitor to the crown die-"

"You're the only traitor here." He growled, interrupting. The prince glared and tried to continue.

"A traitor to the crown-"

"That crown isn't yours! It's King Richard's!" he cried. The people cheered at that, soon silenced as the prince waved for his guards to come forward.

"Robin Hood…you will die this day. I suggest you hold onto what little honor you have left."

"Even in death I will remain more honorable than you will ever be." he retorted.

"That's it! Do it!" John yelled to the hangman.

"'Fraid not, my Lord." The hangman said with a grin. Dayn looked at him and grinned, now recognizing his large build. "Now!" Little John yelled, pulling off the black mask.

One of the guards spun and sliced twin daggers at the others, and he pulled off his helmet to reveal shockingly red hair. Dayn's smile widened at the prince realized what was happening.

"Prince John!" a voice called from across the square, clear as a bell even over the happy shouts of the crowd. Dayn looked and found himself beaming. There was Nika, standing on the back of a wagon, bow in hand and her cloak and shoulder length raven hair flaring dramatically behind her. It was like something out of a movie, and she'd never looked more beautiful.

The Prince sputtered as Nika smirked, recognizing her from the day before. "Hello again Johnny boy. I want you to remember me. I want to remember that this day, it was a woman who beat you at your own game."

The prince roared in anger and ran to the lever for the trap door. Nika was quicker. She swung up her bow, aimed just as Dayn had taught her, and fired. The arrow sped straight through the rope holding Dayn in place. The Prince, not having realized what was happening, pulled the lever for the trap door.

Dayn laughed, having already moved. He gave the prince a jaunty salute, after Will cut the bonds around his wrists, and grinned. "See ya later, Johnny Boy." He said cheekily, having decided he liked Nika's nickname for him. He jumped through the trapdoor, and Little John and Will jumped off the platform to follow. The three ran through the crowd towards Nika, Dayn laughing the whole time.

"Guards! Get them! Arrest them!" The Prince shouted angrily.

But the guards were helpless. The crowd parted, letting the men through, and then swarmed to block the way of the guards trying to chase them. They were all against the prince, and opposed him now that they had the chance. Dayn leapt into the cart as Little John and Will climbed in, he and Nika climbed into the driver's seat. Nika snapped the reins as Drake pulled the other men down into the back of the cart.

"Better 'ang on, she's a crazy driver!" the boy yelled with a laugh.

"And proud of it!" Nika called back, steering the cart through the narrow streets and right through the front gate. The guards chasing them didn't have a chance.

Nika slowed as they entered the forest and Dayn laughed happily at his newly gained freedom. "That was quite a rescue." He said with a grin.

"It was Lady Marian's idea." Drake said, proud of what his Lady had done.

Will snorted. "She didn't sleep all night, she needed something to do. Planning a rescue was the perfect thing."

Nika rolled her eyes. "We didn't know he needed rescuing until we got there this morning, Will." She reminded him.

Little John chuckled and lounged back against the side of the cart. "It was a very well concocted plan, especially considering how last minute it was."

"Thank you, Little John." Nika said graciously, giggling lightly. "You all did very well yourselves."

"But that shot!" Dayn exclaimed. "N- Marian, you shot all the way across the square and managed to hit a rope! That was incredible!"

She smirked, quoting a line from Robin Hood: Men in Tights. "To tell the truth, I was aiming for the hangman."

"No you weren't, shut up." Dayn laughed, recognizing the line.

Nika beamed. "Can't let you have all the credit now, can I?"

They arrived back at the camp in good spirits, but then took the effort to calm down and talk about everything they'd managed to learn.

"I think Helen will be quite a help if she's willing." Dayn said to the others.

"Don't make her do anything dangerous, Rob." Will said in warning. Nika giggled and Dayn grinned.

"Don't worry, I'm not about to put her in danger. But I think she'll be a good way to get information. And maybe a way to show the king that we're in the right."

"I may have helped with that already." Nika said with a shrug. "I got to talk to him for a while before the Prince showed up. I think I at least planted a seed of doubt, now it just needs to be watered."

"Excellent! Well, we don't really need to capture the prince anymore…no point."

John chuckled. "While you two start planning and strategizing, I'm going to sleep. I didn't get much last night." He pointed out. He left to crawl into his bedroll, and Will and Drake agreed that it sounded like a good idea.

Nika and Dayn stood and walked a distance away, not wanting to wake them, but strategizing had already faded from Nika's mind.

She spun in mid walk and slapped him, a moment before throwing her arms around Dayn's shoulders, hugging him as if he might disappear.

"You never came…all night I sat up, waiting…but you never came. Dayn I was so scared." She whispered into his neck.

He chuckled softly, remembering last time she'd done that exact thing, and held her close, ignoring his stinging cheek. "Not by choice. Nika, if I could have escaped I would have. All I could think about was you…the whole night."

She pulled back and smacked his arm, glaring. "Stop laughing! Why'd you get caught? You stupid jerk-face, I was terrified! I thought I'd never see you again!" She spun away, taking a deep breath as she tried to collect herself. "Are you trying to worry me to death? Are you _trying_ to hurt me?"

Dayn just moved close again and turned her around, hugging her to his chest once more. He wasn't angry at her words; he knew she'd only been scared. But he now knew this wasn't the time to laugh about the situation. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Only because I came looking for you. If I hadn't, you'd…you'd be…"

"But I'm not." He said gently. He pulled back and looked down at her, brushing her hair from her face. He ran his fingers through the shorter locks, deciding he liked how they framed her face. "Why'd you cut it?"

"I didn't by choice, Prince John grabbed my braid. I had to cut it off to get away. And don't change the subject."

"Nika…I'm not gonna apologize for something that isn't my fault."

"Dayn… I feel like every time you say you'll stay, you leave me again. I can't keep doing this. I can't keep wondering if you're going to just…decide not to come back one day!"

Dayn glared. "Well, what do you want me to do? Never do anything ever again?"

"No, I want…" she took a deep breath, licked her lips and looked up, grey eyes determined. "I want this." She whispered, before she stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

Dayn's eyes widened in shock before they closed in happiness, a hand coming up to support the back of her head and deepen the kiss. He felt emotions pass between them: regret, apology, forgiveness…love. So much love he didn't know how his heart hadn't burst with it.

Nika gasped as his lips pressed to hers, sure there were fireworks going off in her head and her heart. She'd been kissed before…it had been alright. But a simple kiss had never felt this wonderful. She trembled against him, hyper aware of his hand behind her head, his other palm warm against the small of her back, and her torso pressed to his.

When she pulled back she blushed slightly, eyeing him as if he might turn and run away. Dayn chuckled and swooped down to capture her lips once more in an assurance that he wouldn't be leaving her any time soon.

"Well…that went over well." She said in a high pitched voice, slightly dazed and breathless when he pulled back. He grinned cheekily at the way her fingers held onto his tunic as if she may fall. He wrapped him arms around her waist, as much to support her as to hold her near.

"Of course it did Nika, I love you." He whispered in her ear.

She leaned back, eyes wide. "Really?"

He nodded, brushing her hair back from her face once more. "I have for years now…I didn't want to say anything though."

"Well why not?" she demanded.

"Nika…if you hadn't felt the same, our friendship would have suddenly gotten really awkward. It wasn't worth the risk."

She made a face. "I took the risk."

He smiled and kissed her nose. "Well if I'd known you wouldn't have minded, I'd have done this a long time ago." He whispered, his lips barely brushing hers, teasing for a moment before pulling back. "I should have said something beforehand…I may not have had to watch as you dated all those jerks." She giggled and smacked him, only to pull him into another much-too-short kiss.

"Actions speak louder than words." She whispered. He didn't waste breath trying to agree. She was right after all, and his lips had a lot to say.

_Yay! I like this chapter, this is probably my favorite of them all :D For obvious reasons, lol. I'm a sucker for the first kiss ^^_

_Please please review and tell me what you thought!_

_Your Hopefully-Romantic Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next few days were spent preparing and infiltrating the castle. They couldn't do anything more than steal the occasional tax shipment and that wasn't getting them anywhere. It was up to King Richard, they just had to convince him to act.

The best way they could think to get to him was by getting jobs in and around the castle. Nika was easily able to get a position as a maid, Dayn and Little John soon worked in the stables and Will was hired as a guard. Drake, who had refused to even consider getting a job, was now the messenger between them and the Merry Men back in Sherwood.

As the days passed, it soon became evident that they couldn't stay in the forests any longer. It was too odd for them all to leave at the end of every day and go out to the woods. A tiny house was bought at the edge of town instead, for appearance's sake. Nika and Will hung a few curtains, giving them two small "bedrooms" for privacy, and Little John, who was good with a hammer, managed to fix broken furniture which had been thrown out for trash. It wasn't much, but it was home.

And amidst it all, Nika and Dayn were happier than they'd been in over a year. Neither of them really minded the sudden teasing they were getting either. They weren't shy about exchanging gentle kisses whenever they saw each other as the days wore on, and Will and John were highly amused by their sudden affection for one another. Neither could bring themselves to care.

One day, Dayn came back to the house to find Nika there already. The other two were still working and the young man smiled simply leaning against the wall by the door to watch as she worked around their tiny house. He couldn't help but feel at peace with their little world. They both had jobs, a house…and most importantly each other.

Nika glanced up and saw him, a blush spreading prettily across her cheeks at the way he looked at her. It was a look she'd quickly grown to love. She didn't do anything though, simply going back to her work and taking her time on it. She made the beds and folded the ragged blankets, and had started putting the dishes away when he finally moved.

Dayn had been content to watch her for a while, eyes taking in the movement of her hips, the graceful movements of her hands, and the mischievous smile that had grown on her lips. But watching wasn't much fun for long. He finally ran out of patience and pushed away from the wall when she started putting dishes away.

He slipped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, and she eyed him with a giggle. "Good afternoon, my Lord Robin." She said with a smile.

He grinned, brushing his lips against the soft skin where her neck met her shoulder. "Afternoon." He whispered. She drove him wild, and she knew full well how much. He kissed her shoulder again in revenge, amber eyes meeting grey with a devilish look. "How are you today?"

"Rather well…could be better." She said vaguely, shivering slightly at the feel of his lips on her skin. "Think you can help with that?"

"I may." Dayn said. He smirked and kissed her shoulder again, moving up to her jaw line and slowly turning her in his arms until his lips found her own. He loved the way she fit against him, and even more the way she shivered in his hold.

The door opened and he pulled away, flushing as Will took in the sight the two of them made and chuckled. The redhead only grinned cheekily as Nika turned bright red, hiding her face in Dayn's shoulder.

"Don't mind me, I'm going right back to work. I managed to get the night shift too. Good evening, love birds." He teased, bowing and grabbing an apple before leaving once more.

Nika groaned. "I hate that man."

Dayn chuckled and raised an eyebrow. "How come?"

"Because he has the worst timing ever." She said firmly, looking up and pressing her lips to his once again.

Will was soon back in the castle, doing his rounds and chuckling to himself. He was still amused at how red Robin and Marian had turned when he'd walked in on them. For a married couple, they certainly seemed new at all this.

He was just beginning to wonder when Drake would be getting back – with a few bottles of the Friar's mead – when he heard a scream on the floor above him. He moved without thinking, straight to the window. He climbed the rough stone walls with ease, and climbed through the window he'd heard the scream from. So much quicker than running to the stairs and back.

A nicely decorated room greeted him, lavender fabric and gold trim seemed to be the theme here. A man dressed all in black stood in the room, holding a crossbow and aiming it right at the throat of a familiar, beautiful young woman.

"Lady Helen!" Will exclaimed, moving before anyone else could do a thing. He pulled a dagger from his belt and flung it across the room, where it hit the man in the back. He grunted, the blade having pierced his heart, and pulled the trigger as he died. Luckily, his aim was now off, and it clattered against the wall above Helen's head, the girl shrieking and crouching low.

Will moved slowly towards the sobbing woman and knelt at her side. "Helen? It's alright, he's gone."

She reacted in a most unexpected way. Immediately she looked up and stopped trying to meld with the floor, and flung her arms around his neck. "You came…you came!"

Will froze and blinked in shock, awkwardly patting her back. "Of…course I came."

She pulled back, blushing as she realized what she'd done, and scrambled to her feet. "I'm terribly sorry, Sir Guard." She whispered. "I forgot myself for a moment."

Will got to his feet as well, confused until he remembered he was wearing a helmet, his face in shadow. "Oh!" he exclaimed, pulling off the obstruction and grinning. Her green eyes flicked between his own emerald eyes and his red hair, and recognition dawned on her face.

"Will? Will Scarlet?"

He beamed. "The one and only."

"But…how?" she asked weakly, very confused. Will led her to the bed and sat her down, before covering the man's body with a blanket so she wouldn't have to see it.

"I'm working as a guard here for now. Robin, Lady Marian and Little John all have jobs here as well. It's the only way we can get to King Richard."

She nodded slowly. "And…you were the one to rescue me?"

He grinned. "Only by chance." He told her. "I'm sure someone else would have come soon enough." He looked at the lump under the blanket and frowned. "Who is he?"

"I don't know." She whispered, voice trembling slightly. "I don't know why he'd come after me…"

Will nodded slowly. "I'll look into it. He probably thinks that killing you would hurt the Prince."

She shook her head, looking as if she may had snorted in disbelief had she not had good manners. "The Prince couldn't care less about me. He doesn't even talk to me these days…he's busy with another woman."

Will glowered but didn't say a thing. She was upset about the fact in some ways, but she seemed almost relieved in others. "He doesn't mistreat you, does he?"

"No. No, he's actually quite civil to me these days. He still wants me at his side for public appearances. That's likely the reason my assassin thought I remain important to him."

Will nodded. "Well…if he's going to continue to do such things, might I suggest that my Lady hires a private guard? Someone to be near at all times, so this doesn't happen again." He said, nodding to the corpse.

She licked her lips as she nodded and blushed slightly. Will was too busy admiring the way it made her cheeks glow to realize what she was doing. "Do…do you think that could be you?" she asked shyly.

Will blinked in surprise. "Me?"

Now she giggled, a sound lovely enough to make a goofy smile appear on the man's face. "Yes, you. You're a better fighter than many of the guards I think, and you'll be getting quite the advantage yourself."

What do you mean?" Will asked, slightly wary. He'd forgotten that the woman was more shrewd than many believed.

"I've been the one taking the medicine to King Richard the past few days. By working for me, you'll have direct access to the man."

Will practically beamed before his face fell. "I…wouldn't know what to say to him. That'd be something Robin or Lady Marian needs to do."

Helen nodded, tapping her chin with a long, graceful finger. "Lady Marian…the King has asked me about her. She works at the castle as well?"

"Yes Lady, she is playing the part of a maid."

"I see…" she whispered. "I have an idea. Your Robin Hood can read and write, correct?"

"Yes."

"Have them write letters for the King. You can get them to me and I can deliver them. In the meantime, I'll do what I can to convince Prince John that the King needs a personal nursemaid."

Will grinned. "You can do that?"

She smiled, blushing again. "I'm rather good a weaving a convincing tale. It will take time, but it will make it all worth it."

Will beamed and swept her into a hug. "You, Lady Helen, are an angel." He said with feeling. The honey haired woman giggled in amusement as he set her down again. "I'll take the body out. I'll be back shortly. Don't worry, my Lady." He said, kneeling before her. "I'll keep you safe."

He was gone in a whirlwind of color, despite his plain uniform and Helen sank back onto her bed, feeling a tad…fluttery. She quite liked the colorful gentleman…he was exciting.

The next few days were wonderful as far as the resistance was concerned. Lady Helen proved to be a better tale weaver than she'd boasted, and Nika was working directly for the King within the week. Helen, who was in charge of getting the medicine to the King, had started giving him herb flavored water instead. He didn't notice the difference.

Slowly, the numbness that had overtaken him left and the pain returned. Nika, after speaking with a healing woman in the city, learned of other mixtures and ways to keep it bearable, and gave those to him instead.

Despite the pain he was living with daily, it was a good sign. He was more careful about keeping the wound clean, and allowed Nika to change the bandaging at least twice a day now. He was healing, slowly, but surely. And his mind grew sharper every day.

Nika told him of the story of Robin Hood, including the fact that he was exiled Lord Robert of Locksley. She told of his sacrifices and his actions to help his people even when the law refused to support him. She described Will Scarlet and Little John, of Friar Tuck and Drake, and all they'd done to help them. She told of the Merry Men who'd joined his band in Sherwood forest, wanting to fight for their freedom and their rights as people of England. She told of the Sheriff of Nottingham and his fowl deeds. And finally, she told of how the Prince was the mastermind behind the entire thing, and how he was abusing his position and the people he was supposed to care for.

Richard was a very good listener, but Nika still didn't know what he thought of anything. He never told her be believed her or that Robin Hood had the right idea, but he also didn't turn her away. She could only hope he was listening to her stories and taking them to heart.

Finally, on a chilly autumn day, he asked if she could send for the prince. Nika hesitated, fear written on her face and he smiled gently.

"Don't worry, my dear. I quite like you, and I won't do anything to endanger your position here. But if I don't speak to my brother, I will always wonder if I am being a foolish old man to simply believe the things you tell me. I need to see his reaction to certain questions, and find out how badly he is lying to me."

She curtsied. "I'll send for him, your majesty." She hesitated before she opened the door and looked back at him. "My Lord…if you don't mind, I'd rather not be here for his visit. He knows my face you see…and would order his guards to arrest me if he saw me, especially here."

He chuckled in amusement. "After the way he acted last time he caught you here, I don't doubt it. I will see you tomorrow, Lady Marian."

She smiled and slipped from the room, stopping the first servant she came across and passing on the message. She then hurried to leave the castle and head to the stables. She'd spend time with Dayn rather than go home where she'd be bored to tears.

She found him shoveling out the last stall of the barn, and smiled softly at the grumpy look on his face. It was his least favorite chore and she only laughed at him for getting stuck with it so often. She did move to help though, spreading fresh hay through the freshly cleaned stalls.

When they were done, he led her up into the hay loft and sat with her there. Anyone else simply believed them to be escaping for a fun time, and didn't bother them any. It was the perfect excuse, and allowed them to talk without being disturbed.

"I'm worried." Nika admitted, sighing softly. She and Dayn sat cross-legged, facing each other so their knees touched. "This will be the first time the Prince has seen the King in ages. He'll know he's getting better."

Dayn nodded, resting his forehead against hers. "Richard did say he wouldn't tell him about you."

Nika shook her head. "It's not me I'm worried about. It's Helen. She's supposed to be giving the King that drug. John will know right off that he hasn't been getting it."

Dayn's brows furrowed and he sighed. "Didn't think of that…still, Will's with her. She should be safe."

Nika's lips spread into a crooked smile. "Dayn, if Will is noticed and recognized, the prince will know exactly what's going on." She pointed out.

Dayn groaned. "Let's hope the man keeps his head…"

Had Dayn known what Will was doing at that very moment, he would have smacked himself. The redhead was lounging on a blanket with Lady Helen, on the floor of her rooms. They'd been enjoying an indoor picnic together, seeing as I had been too cold to go outside. After spending so much time together, the pair and gotten inevitably closer and closer, soon forgetting the rules of propriety. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but as Will's helmet was off when the prince stormed in…

"Helen!" the man yelled.

Will scrambled for the helmet and jammed it on his head moving to stand beside the door as if that's where he'd been the whole time.

Thankfully, Prince John was far too busy glaring at Helen to notice. "What is the meaning of this? What happened to the medicine you were supposed to be giving my brother?"

Helen was thankfully, quick thinking. "I…I've been giving it to him. Daily, just like you said, my Lord. He's been improving, I didn't think you needed to be told that the medicine was doing what it was supposed to."

"You wench, the medicine was supposed to kill him!"

"What?" she asked, horrified. Though her fear was more that he was telling her such a thing…it could only mean he believed that she would soon be unable to tell anyone. "He's…he's your brother, and the King!"

"I am King! I will remain so when he dies! I guess I just need to kill him myself, since his wound isn't doing it for me."

"John! How could you?"

"The same way I'm going to do it to you." John said, drawing his blade and advancing.

Will moved from where he stood by the door, his daggers out to block the Prince's downswing. Helen screamed as the two fought, scrambling to get out of the way.

Will moved with the ease of long practice, an expert with his daggers. But John wasn't untrained with his own sword. Though the hilt was covered in gems, the blade was sharp. It was a deadly weapon, and John knew how to use it.

It was only a matter of time before Will had to take off the stupid helmet. It restricted his vision, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. He wasn't a soldier, he wasn't used to fighting in situations like this, and he needed to be able to move.

The Prince sputtered angrily as sweat dampened red hair was revealed and Will only smirked. "Hello Johnny-Boy." He said cheekily. He moved before the prince could blink, slashing at his back. His twin blades only sparked and scraped along the chain mail beneath the man's red cloak, but he'd made his point.

He grabbed Helen's hand and ran from the room. It was time to go, before this got ugly. The angry yell that followed theme echoed through the castle, and soon everyone was scrambling to find the intruders.

Nika and Dayn were still talking when they heard someone calling them from outside of the barn. They hurried down the ladder and outside, meeting John there.

"It's Helen, the Prince wants people to find her and the man she's with. Will."

Nika rolled her eyes. "Great, he panicked."

Dayn nodded. "He's doing his job, and protecting Helen. Now it's time to do ours. John, it's time to move."

"We're doing it? Now?" Drake said, popping up beside them. Nika nodded. He'd arrived that morning with a delivery of some more mead and a message that everything was going well with the Merry Men. They were just bored and growing restless.

"Now. Drake, we need you to go back and get everyone. Bring them here."

The boy looked doubtful. "They won't get here until tomorrow. And I want to stay and fight!"

"This is more important." Dayn said, resting a hand on the young man's shoulder. "It'll be easier to fight if we're all fighting than if it's just the five of us."

"Alright fine. I'll go now." The boy said. He disappeared into the stables and was riding past them a moment later.

Little John nodded, determined. "What's my job?"

"We need you to guard the King." Nika said before Dayn could think of something. "If John is panicking, he may go after Richard in order to make his position on the throne permanent. Do not let him do so."

Little John nodded and grabbed his staff from the wall of the courtyard. "I will do my best." He bowed slightly to them both. "It has been an honor working with you both." He said before turning and heading to the castle.

Nika sighed softly. "Well…Will will be protecting Lady Helen… what do we do?"

"We…are going after the Prince." Dayn said.

"Let's do it." Nika said with a firm nod and a grin. Dayn grabbed her wrist when she turned to leave and kissed her firmly for a long moment.

"I love you." He whispered, before he led the way into the barn. Nika smiled slightly as she followed. She didn't mind the reminders he was so fond of giving her.

The pair made their way into the tack room, where they each had a better outfit stored for just such an occasion. Nika pulled her hair scarf away, letting her short hair fall free. She tossed aside her apron and her rough blue dress, replacing it with a well fitted one of red fabric, a leather belt around her waist holding a dagger and a thin rapier she'd been practicing with. Dayn pulled off the leather apron he'd been using, and was soon standing tall in a loose cream shirt, a well made green velvet tunic edged in gold, and sturdy breeches. His own belt held Excalibur, and his bow was looped over his shoulders with a quiver of well made arrows.

This was their big move…they wanted to do things in style. They were, after all, the Lord and Lady of Locksley. Robin Hood and Maid Marian. They were literally the stuff of legends, and they wanted to look good while doing it.

Finally, after months of planning…the tyranny of Prince John would hopefully come to an end.

_Hurray for stuff happening, lol. Hope this chapter wasn't too boring for everyone!_

_Please please review!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Dayn and Nika ran through the castle, aiming towards the prince's rooms. He hadn't been in the throne room, or the dining hall, and he didn't spend much time elsewhere. He had to be in his bedroom, and Dayn was now leading the way there.

They'd gotten involved in a few skirmishes on the way up. Guards who were loyal to the Prince were few and far between, but they put up quite a fight at the sight of the pair running through the halls. Both had fought well – though admittedly Dayn did most of it – and continued on. They crashed through the doors of the prince's room, both of them holding their swords out and ready. Neither of them were prepared for the sight that awaited them…

Little John arrived at the King's rooms and knocked out the guards outside the door. He entered the room and bowed low to the King, who was sitting on the side of his bed, looking a bit tired, but better than he must have a few weeks before. Lady Marian had described him as weak and pale, but the man before him had an air of strength and power.

"What is going on out there?" the King asked.

"The Prince got angry at Lady Helen. A friend of ours, Will, got her out before the Prince could do anything, but now we're being forced to act. I'm here for your protection, your majesty."

The King nodded. "You have my thanks. Now would be the perfect opportunity for John to dispose of me permanently, and I cannot fight very well in my condition."

Little John smiled. He liked the bluntness the King had used to describe the situation. And the calm way he discussed attempts on his own life. "That's what I'm here for, your majesty."

"Thank you once more. Now, while we wait for someone to come and kill me, I want you to tell me the things Lady Marian refused to share with me…"

Will led Helen through the halls, gripping her small hand in his. He knew the palace even better than she did by this point, and he happily led her down the long way. He had to get her out…before John could do anything to them.

They snuck out through the servant's entrance, Helen wrapping herself in a rough cloak to hide her pretty face and fancy dress. The city streets were chaotic, as John's men barged into people's homes, demanding to know if they here hiding fugitives.

They arrived at the tiny house Robin had bought and hurried inside, turning only to see one of John's best men sitting at the table. He smiled cruelly and nodded at the two, who were suddenly boxed in from behind.

"Hello Lady Helen. Mr. Scarlet." He said. Will glared, automatically moving between the man and Helen.

"Hello, Sir Hiss." He said in a snide voice. The man tutted at him in amusement.

"Now now Will, there's no need to forget your manners." He stood and came forward, taking Helen's hand and kissing her knuckles. "Lady Helen, I am Sir Roger Hessings. I'm…an old friend of Will's."

"You were never a friend."

"But I was never an enemy either."

"You were when you killed my wife." Will said darkly. Roger only smiled fondly, as if he was remembering a good memory.

"Yes, I suppose that did put a black mark on our relationship." Will growled angrily, an arm around Helen's shoulders. Now what…?

Drake finally managed to escape the city, though it had been anything but easy. The soldiers were everywhere! Thankfully, most of them didn't look twice at a raggedly dressed boy, even if he was riding a nice horse.

He had just passed through the gate when they called for him to stop. They didn't want anyone leaving the city. He ignored their shouts, spurring his horse into a gallop. If he could just reach the trees…

He didn't make it before a searing pain went through his arm. He yelled in surprise as much as pain, looking to see the arrow sticking out the back of his arm. He couldn't stop now though…

He kept going, but relief didn't fill him when he reached the trees. He didn't know how to care for a wound like this. He let the horse do the steering, and the beast followed the path before them unwaveringly.

He gritted his teeth, ripping fabric from his over shirt in preparation. This was not going to be fun… He twisted and grabbed the arrow, difficult from this angle, and took a deep breath.

He couldn't help the yell that pulled from his throat as he yanked the arrow free, and tears rolled down his face. Had he been around anyone else, he would have held them back, but only his horse was here to hear him sob in pain.

He felt dizzy and forced himself to focus, wrapping his arm with the ripped cloth and tying it with the aid of his teeth. He waved slightly in the saddle, and grabbed the pommel.

"Stay awake, Drake. You 'ave a job to do." He ordered himself firmly. He could collapse later.

Nika's jaw dropped at the sight of John, sitting regally in a chair, surrounded by as many as twenty guards. He smiled at them as even more men moved behind them, until they were in the center of a circle of men.

"I had a feeling you may decide to show up today." John said, using a dagger to clean under his nails. "I admit, the pair of you have done a very good job over the past few weeks. I had assumed you had run back to Sherwood forest, as the good Sheriff of Nottingham's reports spoke of more outlaw activity. I see I was wrong. Joining the servants? You have lowered yourself to the lowest positions in order to get to me. But you have failed."

He grinned at the angry looks on their faces as his guards took their weapons. "You see, my brother was healing well…before I sent someone to take care of him a moment ago. He will be dead soon, I'm sure. The lovely Lady Helen will soon be found, along with the red haired man you cleverly planted with her. And now, the two of you are at your end."

He chuckled, recognizing the despair in Nika's eyes. "You have failed. All that work, and you're going to die. A pity you don't care for my methods, you both could have been very powerful people in my new England."

He nodded to the guards. "Take them away."

Will and Helen were led on foot back to the castle. Will, who no longer cared about any sort of propriety when it came to Helen, held her close as they walked. She cried softly into his shoulder, not even looking where they were going.

The whole way, Will was forced to endure Sir Roger's jeering comments, growing more and more angry. He knew better though. He if reacted, Helen would be the one to pay for it. And Will was going to do everything in his power to keep her from harm.

They were soon deposited in the dungeons, in a small, odd smelling cell with a wooden bench and a bucket. Will sighed and sat down on the bench. Helen, still holding him tightly, sat beside him, her face hidden in his shoulder.

"Well…at least Robin and Marian can get us out." He said. No sooner had the words come out of his mouth that the two were tossed into the same cell. They glared at the guard before looking at Will and sighing.

"You too?" Dayn asked, sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. Nika sat beside him, only to be pulled into his lap.

"Yeah." Will said. "They were waiting for us at the house."

"I guess it's up to Little John then." Nika said, sighing softly. "The prince said he'd done something to get rid of the King…Little John hopefully held them off."

Dayn sighed, doubtful. "Even if he does, how is he going to stop them from more attempts? It won't be long before the prince figures it out."

Will seemed to agree. "Little John is a good man…but he's not the one who usually does the thinking."

Nika smiled. "Maybe not, but King Richard is. He's very shrewd, and he'll be able to think of something."

Little John was easily able to take care of the man who'd crept into the King's room with a wicked looking knife. A single whallop to the head was enough to leave him drooling on the floor.

The king chuckled in amusement. "That was only the first of many if my brother discovers I'm not dead."

Little John frowned. "And they'll soon know I'm here. I'm not exactly the kind of man who blends into the shadows. You want Will for that."

Richard smiled. "On the contrary, you are exactly who I need." Little John looked at him in confusion. "You see…the next man to come will likely be here to see that I'm dead. When he shows up, you need to pretend to have killed me."

"What?"

"Relax good man, it'll make them think that I'm dead and the deed is done. You must tell the next man that I am gone, and that you are guarding the room so no one sees the body. Tell him Prince John ordered you to keep it quiet."

Little John nodded slowly. "And then we'll get out of here?"

The King nodded. "We need only move to a different room. I am not strong enough to travel far, but we don't need to. Prince John won't waste time searching for a dead man."

Drake was barely conscious when he made it to the camp in Sherwood Forest. One of the men caught him when he fell from the horse. Drake struggled to keep his eyes open.

"The Friar…where's the…Friar…?" he'd barely asked when he slipped into blackness.

When he next woke, he peeled his eyes open to see the Friar washing blood from his hands, and his arm was a pulsing throb.

"Friar!"

The man turned and smiled. "Good, you're awake! Are you injured anywhere else?"

"No but-"

"I didn't think so, but I had to be sure. How you managed to get hit with an arrow…"

"Sir-"

"Did you ride all the way from London?"

"Friar!" Drake said, sitting up in exasperation. "Everyone's in trouble. They were going' after Prince John when I left, they need the men in London!"

Friar Tuck stared and nodded. "Of course. We'll move out tonight." he stopped the boy from getting up. "Not you, you're injured."

Drake glared. "I'm goin'. I know the way there better than anyone else. And I'm not stayin' be'ind for the big fight!"

Tuck glared. Drake glared right back. Finally, the older man nodded. "Alright, we'll take the cart. I don't want you moving around until we get there, understand?"

He sounded too much like the boy's dead father for him to argue. "Yes sir."

"Good. I'll get the men moving. We have a long road ahead of us. The sheriff will be confused when nothing goes wrong here tomorrow." He said with a chuckle.

The night passed too slowly for all parties. After explaining the story of Sir Roger Hessings and sharing what Prince John had said, the group in the cell agreed to sleep. Dayn and Nika couldn't manage to do so for a very long time. They simply sat in each other's arms, drawing comfort from each other as watched the patch of moonlight trail across the floor of the cell. Will slept sitting up on the bench, snoring slightly. Helen's head was in his lap, where she slept more peacefully than one would expect. But then, she'd had a very exciting day by the standard of a Lady. Little John spent the night standing guard over the smaller bedchamber he'd moved the king to. He moved between listening at the door and watching out the window on the opposite wall, just waiting for something to happen. The king snored loudly on his bed, exhausted as he was still healing. A ways away, Drake hobbled to the prepared cart and spent the night lying on the pallet in the back. We half slept and half watched the stars as the group trundled though the forest, riding for London.

When the dawn broke, the group in the cell was rudely awoken by a clattering. Nika, who must have drifted off somewhere, jumped at Dayn's side, and looked up. A man stood there, taping the daggers he'd taken from Will against the bars like drumsticks. Will rolled his eyes.

"What did we do to be punished in such a manner?"

Sir Roger grinned. "You exist Will; it is as simple as that. I've come bearing breakfast." He passed a few bowls of mush through the bars and Nika grimaced at even the thought of eating it. "Now now, Lady Marian." He scolded, wagging his finger at her. "You should try and enjoy your last meal."

Will offered a bowl of mush to Helen who delicately scrunched up her nose and shook her head. He nodded. "I agree whole heartedly." He said. He turned faster than anyone could follow, throwing the bowl at Sir Robert.

The man stood there in shock, mush dripping down his front. Nika giggled. "Will, I like your style." She said, tossing her own bowl. Dayn did the same, and soon splatters of mush covered the front of the man, including a large blob dripping down his cheek.

Nika laughed. "You know, Sir Hiss, I _did_ enjoy my last meal. Thank you." She said in a gracious voice. The man glared at them, before turning and stalking away. His departure was followed by a chorus of laughter from the cell.

"Care to play a game as we wait?" Dayn suggested with a bright smile. The morning was passed with games of 'I Spy', telling a story as a group, one word at a time, and even charades. The guards on either side of the cell exchanged looks. They didn't think any prisoners had ever had such fun down here before…

As a bell somewhere tolled eleven o'clock, men finally came downstairs. No words were exchanged as the prisoners were hauled up and dragged through the castle. Soon, they were led up the stairs of a brand new hangman's platform. A platform big enough for the four nooses there.

Helen started sobbing fearfully at the sight and Will tried to comfort her. She'd been so strong up until now, but the sight of the device that would kill her shattered her calm mask. Dayn and Nika looked at each other, clasping hands in nervous silence. Neither knew how they'd ever get out of this.

"I love you." Nika whispered softly. Dayn smiled softly.

"I love you too."

They were each led to one of the trap doors. Their hands were tied before them, and the nooses were pulled down and tightened around their necks. They stood in silence as the Prince came forward, Helen still crying silently.

The man held up his hands, though the crowd was already silent. "I bring before you, four traitors to the crown. Lady Helen, daughter of Lord Arram. Will Scarlet, once of the King's guard and now an outlaw. Lady Marian of Locksley, and her husband Lord Robert of Locksley. Better known as Robin Hood."

The people in the crowd couldn't be more silent if they were dead.

"These four have all conspired against me for too long. Today, we put an end to their pitiful existence. Read the charges."

Another man stepped forward and unrolled a scroll. "Lady Helen is charged with willingly going along with a plan to rid the Prince of his crown. Will Scarlet, charged with assaulting a tax collector, and for joining a group of men who fight against Prince John and his aims to improve this country. Lady Marian is charged with assuming the identity of the Shadow Thief and stealing from soldiers, purposefully hindering their progress as they traveled through Nottingham, and joining a group which fights against Prince John and his aims to improve this country. Lord Robert is charged with assuming the identity of Robin Hood, killing and stealing from soldiers of the crown, hindering the progress of travelers going through Sherwood Forest, and…"

He paused and John frowned. "Go on."

"And distributing money among the poor of Nottingham and Derbyshire, thus enabling them to escape punishment for being unable to pay taxes."

By this time, the crowd was anything but silent, roaring with anger at what the Prince was doing. Even the guards around the four looked unsure. The man reading out their charges stepped back, but a puzzled look sat in his eyes.

The prince ignored these signs, stepping forward. "My good people…it is time to rid the world of these heathens! It is time we clean up England and make it a better place for all who live here. It is time for me to take the first step by killing these traitors to the crown!"

"That crown belongs to King Richard!" a young voice shouted from across the courtyard. Everyone turned to look, and Dayn and Nika beamed with pride. There were the Merry Men, all dressed in the green their hero Robin Hood tended to wear, carrying staffs, bows, and swords. The Friar sat in the driver's seat of a cart and Drake, his arm in a sling, stood in the back of it. It was he who had shouted.

"You stole the crown from the king, give it back!" the boy cried as the group came forward.

The prince looked furious. "I have not stolen anything! I was given the responsibility of caring for England while my brother fought on the crusades!"

"He's been back for a few months now." The friar said, pulling the cart to a stop near the base of the platform. The men in green swarmed around it, a drop of green life amidst the brown clothed people too frightened to fight back. "I believe you should be handing such responsibilities back over to the rightful King."

"He has been ill, recovering from a wound. And unfortunately, even my best healers were not able to help him-"

"Of course not, you won't let them near the man." Nika said angrily. Prince John glared at her.

"I did all I could to help him. Unfortunately, he passed away yesterday. I was going to wait for a happier day to make the announcement that I _am_ the king now!"

"Only because you killed him!" Helen cried in anger. Her pale skin was flushed and her curls messy from being uncombed, but she was still lovely with a noose around her neck. "You've been poisoning him for months!"

The crowd exploded with anger, but the prince just smiled. "Actually, my dear, you've been poisoning him for the last few weeks."

Helen looked rather smug, standing up tall. "Actually, I haven't. I took the job from you willingly, and I've only been giving him water. Your poisons are hidden under my bed. Unused."

Now the Prince glowered, and the crowd cheered for the brave Lady. Helen looked rather surprised, blushing in embarrassment even as she smiled.

"It doesn't matter!" John exclaimed. "He's dead now, I had him killed! The crown is mine! There's nothing anyone can do!"

"Dead? How interesting, dear brother. I don't feel very dead." A strong voice said. The crowd turned as one to watch at King Richard himself, slowly made his way up the steps of the platform. He leaned heavily on Little John's staff, and the large man was aiding him when he needed it. But it was the King. And he was on his feet.

Anyone not in the courtyard may have thought an explosion went off the cheering was so sudden and so loud. Dayn took the opportunity he was given, lifting his tied hands and slipping the noose off, using his teeth to undo the ropes around his wrists. The guards on the platform didn't move to stop him. In fact, some of them came forward to help the others get loose. One by one, all four of them went to stand by the king. Friar Tuck helped Drake up and joined the group surrounding the King.

Dayn smiled. "Surprised Johnny-boy?"

The Prince glowered, holding the crown on his head as if he were afraid someone might snatch it. "I am king! It is too late, it's official!"

Richard shook his head. "No, John. I had named you as my heir before this day…but you do not receive the crown until I am dead. Something you failed to make a reality. Thanks to these good people." He moved forward and lifted the crown from the man's perfect brown locks and placing it on his own grizzled grey.

"As King, I renounce your right to the throne from this day forward." He announced. "Take him away."

The guards who'd brought Dayn, Nika and the others outside now dragged the prince inside to be locked in the dungeons.

The king now turned with a smile and nodded to Dayn. "Robert of Locksley, if you would kneel."

Dayn's jaw dropped and Nika giggled, gently pushing him forward. He stumbled a bit, earning a chuckle from his audience, and knelt slowly.

Richard took a sword from a guard's hand, and Dayn noticed it was Excalibur. He smiled slightly, glad to see the sword as if it were an old friend. Merlin had said it always found its way to its rightful owner of the time…

The blade touched one of Dayn's shoulders and then the other, and he could feel the warmth even through his tunic.

"And now rise, Sir Robert of Locksley." King Richard said regally. Dayn got to his feet, thanked the king, and turned. To Nika's surprise, he strode towards her and pulled her into a deep kiss. Neither heard the crowd cheering of the wolf whistles from the Merry Men as he lifted her from her slight backbend.

Dayn grinned when he pulled back, liking the dazed look Nika wore. "That was mean, I can't stand up." She whispered.

He chuckled. "I won't let you fall. Promise." He whispered back. He couldn't believe it…he was just knighted by Richard the Lionheart! He wondered if he could put that on his resume when he got back home…

"Lady Marian?" Richard asked. She looked over in question and stepped forward, her wobbling knees hidden by her elegant floor length dress.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"I owe you my thanks, and my life. You are truly an incredible woman."

Nika turned as red as her dress as the crowd cheered again and she was grateful when he turned to address the crowd.

"These good people are the reason I am still alive, and the reason my brother is no longer in power here. I offer them all full pardons, and they will be returning home with full purses!" the cheers grew louder as he listed all the things he would be doing to fix things in the country. Freeing those in the prisons, lowering the taxes, making sure everyone returned home safely…as the list went on, Nika leaned against Dayn's side and he slipped his arms around her.

"Well Dayn…I'd say we did a pretty good job here." She said dreamily.

He chuckled and kissed her head. "Nika, I'd say you're right."

_Yay happy ending! of course this isn't quite the end, lol. One more chapter left :)_

_Please please pleeeeeease review and tell me what you think! i seem to have lost all my readers and I'm terrified that the story is suddenly terrible o.O_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Despite having completed the story, Nika and Dayn were far from done when it came to being Marian and Robin Hood. They helped the King to get established back in his role as ruler, and helped him to select new, trustworthy officers. The two were almost spies of a sort, chatting with the hopefuls before the King spoke with them, finding what they really thought of things.

Before they left the city of London, Richard offered them both positions in court. He wanted them on his side he joked, but they knew he was serious. He trusted them, they were good leaders and had good judgment of character. They left the room promising to think about it.

"We can't accept." Nika said. "We have to go home. It's been fun but…I want to go back to where I can shower daily and wear shorts without people being scandalized." She said with feeling.

Dayn laughed, nodding. "True. But think Nika…we tell the King no, but we can tell people in Nottingham that we said yes. It will be the perfect excuse for why we can leave."

Nika grinned a bit mischievously. "They'll figure it out eventually you know."

Dayn smiled. "I know. It'll be a great mystery. No one will know what happened to us."

Nika giggled. "I like that plan, that's a good plan."

They declined the King's offer the next day, saying they had a good deal of work to do when they got home. They weren't lying either.

By the time they got to Nottingham, they were heroes of every sort, and everyone was eager to hear their tale of how things had happened. It was told so many times, Nika was sure someone would pass on the right version. Thankfully, by the time it was written down, there'd be so many versions that no one would know the truth.

The next week was spent choosing a new sheriff, a new lord of Locksley, and other such things. Little John was going to be a grand Sheriff they knew, he was good with the people but could be stern too. Like a father for everyone. Will was surprised as being named a Lord, insisting he'd be terrible. Nika and Dayn knew otherwise. He knew more about the town and surrounding country than the people did, and he was fair, if a bit hot headed. Even so, Walter would teach him what he needed to know and Lady Helen's calm kindness would provide the perfect balance to his temper. They were sure there was a proposal around the corner.

When the day came to say good bye, it was very hard. Dayn and Nika both had good friends here, it was difficult to leave.

"Oh, don't cry Lady." Drake said as Nika hugged him tight. "You'll come to visit, I know you will!"

Nika smiled sadly. "It will be a very long time before we get the chance to." She whispered. She looked around and pulled him aside. Little John and Will would get the concocted tale, but she felt Drake deserved to know the truth. At least…more of the truth.

"Drake…the truth is, Robert and I won't be returning."

"What? Why?"

She smiled. "I'm not the real Lady Marian. And Robert isn't the real Lord Robert."

"I don't get it…" the boy said, confused.

"My name is Nika. Robert's is Dayn. We're travelers, and a few months ago, we stopped to visit Lord Walter on our way through. He'd recently lost his only son, Robert, in the crusades. His daughter in law, Marian, died of a fever only the day before we'd come."

Drake's eyes were wide. "And you…?"

"Took their places. At Lord Walter's request of course. We've been playing our parts, but it is time for us to go. I think we caused more trouble than Walter was expecting."

Drake chuckled. "He doesn't mind. He's been boasting to everyone that it was his son who got knighted and all." His smile faded. "But…you won't be coming back?"

She shook her head. "No. We have to go back to our own life. It's time to stop living someone else's."

Drake nodded. "I understand. Thank you for telling me Lady- I mean…Nika."

She grinned. "Don't tell anyone, mind you. Except Much. He knew from the start, he was part of the whole scheme."

Drake beamed. "I'm good at keeping secrets. I won't tell."

"Good." She smiled, and hugged him again, not caring that the skinny weed of a boy was taller than she was. "You're in charge of this town after all, can't have you not knowing what's going on in it."

"You're right, I am!" he said proudly. "So long, Lady Nika. Don't let Rob – I mean, Dayn – get too stuffy."

She winked. "He won't be able to with me around."

Dayn meanwhile was giving Will and Little John a few last minute suggestions and the men were laughing at him.

"Rob, relax. We've been hanging around you long enough, we can handle things." John finally said.

Will grinned. "Just be sure you come back to see us sometime. I'll be able to use the pointers."

Dayn chuckled. "Walter will be more than helpful with that." He assured the redhead, remembering the patient lessons he'd gotten from the blind man. "Soon, you won't even remember I was ever here."

Will snorted and John raised an eyebrow. "Robin Hood? Forgotten? Better be prepared, my lad. The tale of Robin Hood will be told for many years to come. I doubt you'll ever be forgotten."

Dayn grinned. "We'll see."

He turned and met up with Nika on the road, they walked away from town, waving as they went and calling last minute goodbyes. They'd told the others their cart of belongings was already packed and sent ahead. Their horses were supposedly in the woods already. It was a flimsy excuse, but everyone had bought it. Nika giggled, imaging the look on their faces when they found Merlin and Vanya still in their stalls.

As they moved into the forest, they stopped, Dayn taking her hands in his own. "Ready, Lady Marian?"

She nodded, eyes both sad and happy. "I'm ready, Lord Robert." She said with a faint smile. She slipped a hand from his and lifted the charm on her necklace. She pressed a fingernail into the carved shape of the center, and the painful tugging sensation started immediately.

Dayn pulled her into a hug as the silver sparks swirled around them, hugging her close as they were pulled through time.

"Dayn! You jerk, I need to pee!" Nika exclaimed, pounding on the bathroom door. She heard a chuckle and rolled her eyes, leaning against the wood to wait. "Come on, I want to get lunch before class today!"

"Ok ok, hold your horses!" the boy teased, opening the door. Still leaning on it, Nika fell backwards, caught easily by Dayn who grinned cheekily down at her. "Having fun?"

"No." she said, sticking her tongue out at him. She spun free of his hold and closed the door in his face, making him laugh again.

The two got ready, Nika more rushed than Dayn, and hopped in the car. Nika's apartment proved to be perfect for the two of them, which was good as Dayn had left the fraternity and had nowhere to live. He was still doing soccer, but with a group of friends at the park, not with the school's team. His parents were disappointed, but he couldn't care less. His siblings had wanted to choose their more "important" majors; it didn't mean he'd been happy with it. He was, as of now, undeclared as far as majors went. He was dabbling in a few different things; history had taken hold of his interest lately though. He was much more interested than he'd been before, especially now that he'd watched and been a part of history in the making.

Nika's historical studies were more an extra joy for her, still focusing on her engineering, physics, and chemistry classes. She had yet to declare a major herself, but was growing more and more certain that she'd be doing more than one.

The time machine had sat dormant for the rest of the summer. No matter what, no one could make it work, even when both Nika and Dayn were standing right on it. Merlin, who'd taken Excalibur to its new owner and come back to visit with the pair, only smiled as if he knew something they didn't. And, knowing Merlin, he probably did. Dayn suspected that the machine was a bit like the sword in nature. It would only work for the right people at the right time. Nika was doubtful, wanting to believe that it had been pure science that made the thing function. But seeing as it no longer did, she was forced to admit the theory made sense. Not that they could tell anyone else that.

Dayn pulled up in the parking lot and the two walked hand in hand towards the student center. It was the first day of fall classes, and both were excited to see familiar faces. Nika had many friends who had gone home for the summer. Dayn wanted to see the looks on people's faces when he acted nothing like the stuck up frat boy from the year before.

Neither was disappointed. Nika ran into a few of her friends in the school's food court who came over to say hello. All of them were doubtful about Dayn's presence for a time before Nika insisted that he was her best friend and had just had a bad freshmen year. Her friends finally relaxed when they saw how different he acted, and how much the two obviously cared for one another. It may take time, but they were both willing to put in the effort to change the image he'd made for himself.

Dayn and Nika ate lunch together, still teasing each other almost constantly. It was like they were in high school again, only they were older, more confident, and there were kisses involved.

Finally, Nika cursed softly. "I've gotta go. Chem starts in ten minutes and it's on the opposite end of campus." She stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder and leaned down to press her lips to Dayn's.

"I love you." She whispered.

He grinned and gently gripped her chin between thumb and forefinger, pulling her down into a second kiss. "I love you. Go get 'em Nika. I'll see you later."

"See you on the flip side!" she said with a grin, before half running from the lunchroom. Dayn chuckled and sat back in his chair for a moment before heading to class himself.

A few hours and two classes later, he already knew that this year was going to be much better than the last one. All because of the girl with the short, rainbow streaked hair who was hurrying towards him, her bright smile making her grey eyes shine.

He kissed Nika happily and hugged her close before they walked to his car. Oh yes…much much better.

_The End_

_That's it, it's over! The End, finito! Sooooo...what'd you think? Please please tell me, I wanna know!_

_Your Humble Authoress,_

_Whisperwings  
_


End file.
